Inconspicuous
by BananaphoneBob
Summary: If you had the opportunity to do whatever you wanted without the risk of getting caught, how far would you go? One Sakura Haruno is about to find out. SasuSaku
1. Chapter the First

**Yes, I suck. Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, it's another new thing and not _The Wrong One_.**

**I have had this story stuck in my head for a good few months, so I figure, get this out of my head, and there will be more room for ideas for _TWO_. I know, I'm a genius. **

**This isn't gonna have many chapters, it's just a little short story that's been on my mind. I've also actually planned most of how this is gonna go, which is a first, so it might even been done quicker.**

**Anyhoo … enjoy!**

**P.S: This is set in a few years time, when they are ANBU age. Just to avoid confusion**

**Disclaimer: I may have disappeared off the face of the Earth, but I think the fact that I'm back proves that I own nothing.**

**Summary: Because a day only ever gets worse the moment you think it can't. Still, this might be more fun than I thought … **

**Inconspicuous**

**Chapter One**

**Sakura P.O.V**

Damn that hurt.

I opened my eyes slowly, squinting as the sun shined through the leaves of the trees towering above me.

Wait … trees?

I tilted my head to the side, to realise that I was lying on hard, dirty, leafy ground. _'I'm outside?'_ I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to think back to how I came to be sleeping … in the forest … without a tent … right.

It was only as I went to stand up and flinched that I remembered. I was in a fight. Okay. That makes sense. I continued to get up, ignoring the pain – I'll heal it later – and scanned the area. There was no one else in sight. _'Which means I lost …'_ I scowled at myself, brushing excess leaves and dirt from my uniform and hair. I hate losing.

As I healed myself, certain flashes came to me, and the fight itself became a hell of a lot clearer. I sighed and glanced up, sensing the direction of Konoha easily. When you're in the forest, you really understand the term 'hidden leaf village'.

I continued to be angry with myself as I walked. The sun beat down hard. Barely two hours had passed since the fight began. The fact that it was over quickly was what annoyed me the most. That, and the fact that I barely had enough chakra to heal myself. Stupid inanimate object.

-Flashback-

_I was panting heavily as I leapt from branch to branch, determined to catch the man who decided he'd try to invade Konoha. It was made clear from the minute he walked into the village single handed that he wasn't very smart, but what he lacked in brains he sure made up in speed._

_I was slowly advancing on him, this nobody that Tsunade didn't even know the name of. I knew that if I waited for the rest of the ANBU squad before we started the chase, we would never have got him. I knew I wasn't the fastest in the team, but I was the most persistent, and I was not going to let the little bugger escape._

_Suddenly, Mr Anonymous stopped running and landed in a clearing. In the midst of all my thoughts, I nearly ran past him, but used my ninja abilities to swing from the next branch into the clearing. Style it out, Sakura, style it out._

_He stood in front of me, also panting from the chase. I wasted no time in getting several senbon from my pouch and throwing them at my victim. He dodged most, but I saw one pierce his arm. He yelped in pain and tore it out, evidently unaware of the numbing feeling he would soon encounter. _

_He, in return, attempted to throw a couple of kunai in my direction, but since I cut his usual throwing arm, his aim was a little off. I didn't even have to try to dodge them as they scattered on the ground a few inches away. _

_I watched as the numbing sensation intensified, and his face twisted into a strange image as he clutched him arm tightly. Ahh, I love the kind of fights where I can just sit back and enjoy the show … _

_Just as I was getting comfortable (seriously, I was even sitting on the ground.) the guy used his functioning arm to reach into a pocket of his cloak and pulled out a device that I have never seen before._

_This couldn't be good._

_I stood up, and got into my fighting stance. Through his distorted face, he seemed to smile maliciously at me, before throwing (again, pretty clumsily) in my direction. I jumped back a little, though not far, as the aim was still quite wonky. I wanted to investigate, but since I had never seen anything like it, my ANBU instincts told me to stay back. The man was obviously leaving this for the end of the fight, probably assuming that he would wound me first. It also meant that he had predicted a fight in the first place, as it was unlikely that this small object would be used to cause the destruction of Konoha._

_Okay, so maybe he wasn't as stupid as I first thought._

_A loud whirring noise came from the object, and I immediately snapped into focus. The man continued to smile as he clutched his agonizing arm._

_All of a sudden, a white light emitted from the thing, getting larger and larger. I squinted and shielded my eyes as the light grew so bright I couldn't even see the grass beneath my feet. Soon after, there was a loud BANG, and the last thing I remembered was being thrown back into the forest, before darkness engulfed me._

-End flashback-

After having some very long time to think, I realised I was back at Konoha's gates. Walking in, I waved to Izumo and Kotetsu, who both completely ignored me. Lovely. Continuing towards the Hokage tower, I noticed a can on the ground and started kicking it. People gave me weird looks as I walked, but I wasn't surprised. It's not often I lose a battle because a bright white whirring tiny thing that just happened to blast me ten feet back. So yeah, I was in a sour mood.

The Hokage tower was, as per usual, silent, as I walked through the empty corridors, the can that amused me so much on my journey long since forgotten and abandoned outside the doors. I sighed as I reached the double doors I knew so well, and knocked three times, awaiting an answer.

…

Any answer at all.

…

"COME IIIIIIIN!"

Great, she's drunk. I should've realised sooner.

I opened the door slowly and shut it behind me, before turning to face Tsunade, who had a rather puzzled look on her face.

"Hello?"

I inwardly rolled my eyes and took a few slow steps towards her desk. "Tsunade-sama? It's me, Sakura. How much have you had to drink?"

Instead of sobering the woman up, I somehow managed to make her more confused, as she jumped back in her seat, before standing up and walking (wobbling) around her desk.

"Sakura? -hic- Where are you?"

Sighing, I played along, only because I did not want to add 'pissed Tsunade off' on my 'terrible things that happened today' list.

"I'm right here, Sensei. Directly in front of you. I know sometimes you drink so much you can't see straight, but to not see _at all_, that's a new one."

Tsunade frowned, and lifted one finger, aiming it towards me. I raised an eyebrow as she continued, before she jabbed me really hard in the shoulder. Her eyes widened and she stepped back, as I rubbed my arm.

Out of nowhere, my Sensei, the woman who taught me everything I know, the woman I admire the greatest …

Burst into a fit of giggles.

She was laughing so much that she actually had to place a hand on the corner of her desk as she doubled over, shoulders shaking crazily. I placed a hand on my hip and waited for her to finish. If it was Naruto, I'd have punched him several times by now, but no. I must remember my list. No angry Tsunade.

Around five to ten minutes later, the laughter subsided, and she straightened up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"What's so funny?"

The blonde before me came close to laughing again, but stifled it, as she moved back around her desk and sat down, placing TonTon on her lap.

"Sakura … I thought you were out with the rest of the ANBU squad."

_Shit._ "I was, Tsunade-sama, but I chose to pursue the assailant alone, otherwise we wouldn't have caught him."

"Did you catch him?"

"Well … no. But, the fight was really weird, I attacked him, and I thought I had him, but then he pulled out an object from his cloak … I was wondering if you'd know anything about it."

Intrigued, Tsunade leant forward as TonTon squeaked, jumping off of her master's lap in fear she would be squished. Tsunade crossed her hands in front of her face, and signalled for me to continue. I was always amazed at how fast she could sober up. Amazed and a little jealous.

"It's hard to describe really … it was about the size of TonTon, maybe a little bit smaller … he threw it at me and I dodged it so I never got a close look, but it made this loud whirring noise, and then …"

"Then what, Sakura?"

"A bright white light came from it, and it blasted me backwards into the forest. I was knocked unconscious for about half an hour. I woke up and the object and the man were gone."

Tsunade got some papers (that probably needed to be completed months ago) and shuffled them, as if she were a newsreader. Sighing, she placed them down neatly and turned to face the window. "Do you know what happened after that light hit you, Sakura?"

Now that I thought about it, I really didn't. "I assumed it just drained my chakra, I pretty much used up my last bit to heal myself. But I don't know …"

"That would explain why I couldn't sense you …"

"Sense me? Tsunade-sama, with all due respect, you couldn't _see_ me!"

Tsunade turned back to face me then, all the seriousness gone from here face and instead replaced with a large grin, "Would you like me to tell you what happened, Sakura?"

My eyebrow returned to it's raised position and I folded my arms, "You know what the object was?"

Tsunade shook her head, and gestured towards the mirror hanging on the wall. I walked over to it tentatively, not sure what to expect. Did the bomb-thing do something to my face? Did it give me a pig snout as a nose or something? That would explain the weird looks … oh Kami, I have a pig nose.

I reached the mirror, bracing myself for the snout on my face, only when I looked into it, I didn't see anything wrong. I didn't see anything wrong, because I didn't see me at all. As I looked into the mirror, all I saw was Tsunade's desk behind me, and Tsunade herself getting up to stand by it, facing me.

"I think the impact turned you invisible, Sakura."

**Right! First chapter done! I know it's not very long, but to be honest, this is the first thing I've been proud of since I wrote The Talk. **

**So … Sakura's invisible?**

**Yes, she is. The last sentence should clear that up for you.**

**But if she's invisible, how can she see herself?**

**I'm gonna be straight with you, I have never been in a position where I turned invisible, so I don't know what it's like. If any of you have, please feel free to tell me. But in an episode of _Buffy The Vampire Slayer_, Buffy turns invisible, and she doesn't know. I figure, if she didn't know, she could obviously see herself, because her eyes still act as though everything's normal, but no one else can see her. Or something like that.**

**So that's why Izumo, Kotetsu and the villagers were weird?**

**Yuppers. I tried to show how she was drained of chakra, so then Izumo and Kotetsu wouldn't sense her, and coz they can't see her, just ignoring her. Also, the villagers would've been a bit creeped out at the sight of a can moving by itself on a day with no breeze.**

**Pig snout?**

**Yes. Why not? It would match her hair, at least.**

**Who is this Mr Anonymous?**

**No idea. I wasn't trying to focus on the man himself in this chapter, I just wanted the object to be thrown and the invisibility to begin. Depending on how many chapters I do, I might go into more detail on him later on. If I don't, just use your imagination. -shrug-**

**Why have you been gone for so long?**

**Yeah, I really am sorry about that. A lot of stuff happened in 2011. I'm no longer in college, I'm no longer in my old house (which I loved dearly and came up with a lot of ideas for fics there), I'm no longer in a relationship, I'm no longer unemployed (I got a job, yaaaay), and I'm no longer 17, as I'm now 18. So, I had to deal with a lot of stuff last year, and just couldn't be motivated to do anything. The next chapter of _TWO_ has been started, but at the moment I want to get this one out of the way, then more focus will be on _The Wrong One_. Hopefully, it will start getting a lot better too. **

**Well, I shall see you soon! With more of this! If you have an questions that I didn't clear up there, just ask, and they shall be answered!**

**Reviews make me happy, and the more reviews I get, the less invisible I become. So pleaaaaaaaaaaase review :)**

**Over and out :)**

**-x-Emma-x-**


	2. Chapter the Second

**Good day, my fellow writers/readers! How are we all doing this fine day? That's good, but now I'll make it even better with an update! A real update! Almost straight after the last one! WHO AM I AND WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH EMMA? Nah, I just have a lot of time on my hands at the moment. :D**

**I would like to dedicate this to:**

_**SilenceIsTheKey**_

_**WingedMercury**_

**for reviewing the last chapter, coz I love you both :D I am updating this quickly for YOU.**

**ENJOY!**

**P.S: This is set in a few years time, when they are ANBU age. Just to avoid confusion**

**Disclaimer: I may have disappeared off the face of the Earth, but I think the fact that I'm back proves that I own nothing.**

**Summary: Because a day only ever gets worse the moment you think it can't. Still, this might be more fun than I thought … **

_I reached the mirror, bracing myself for the snout on my face, only when I looked into it, I didn't see anything wrong. I didn't see anything wrong, because I didn't see me at all. As I looked into the mirror, all I saw was Tsunade's desk behind me, and Tsunade herself getting up to stand by it, facing me. _

"_I think the impact turned you invisible, Sakura."_

**Inconspicuous**

**Chapter Two**

I turned around to face Tsunade's crumpled body on the floor, as the fits of laughter returned. I was invisible? _Invisible_? INVISIBLE! I guess in a way I could understand the humour my sensei was getting from this, but I wasn't ready to crack a smile. I'm freakin' INVISIBLE?

I glared, though I knew she couldn't see it, and waited once again for her to stop laughing. I think I would've preferred the pig snout.

Tsunade caught her breath and she stood up slowly. She then walked over to a drawer in her desk, and took out a pink scarf. She walked back over to the mirror and held it out. "Put this on your head. I need to know where you are when I talk to you."

Knowing she was doing this to make me look like an idiot, I complied anyway, and wrapped the scarf around my head. Tsunade tried her hardest to suppress more giggles, and turned away from me to face the window.

"SHIZUNE!"

In a split second after shouting her name, Shizune bustled through the door, holding more paperwork for Tsunade to forget about, and stood at the desk. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"I need you to run some tests on Sakura. She was attacked by an unknown object in battle and is in a slight … predicament."

I scoffed at the word 'slight', and Shizune turned to face me. Well, turned to face a bright pink scarf hovering in the air. She looked taken aback by the sight and faced Tsunade again, before looking back at me, to Tsunade, to me, to Tsunade, and finally rested her eyes for good on me.

"… Sakura-chan?"

I nodded, and the scarf bobbed along with it, which seemed to terrify the poor dark-haired girl more. She looked at Tsunade's back one more time, before gesturing to me to head to the lab to run her tests. I don't know what she would run though, I'd imagine it's hard taking chakra readings from an invisible chakra-drained ninja.

An hour passed, and I was able to leave. Not because Shizune said so, but because she had spent the last hour staring at my figure while holding a needle, obviously not entirely sure what it was she was supposed to be doing. So, I silently got up and walked away. She may have noticed by now, considering I took the ridiculous scarf off before I left, and it would now be on the bed I was sitting on, but to be honest, I think she'll probably still be standing there. Bless.

I left the Hokage tower, and found my precious can from earlier. I looked at it for a while, trying to figure out what I was going to do now. Hoping it would be a while before Shizune was able to move enough to let Tsunade know that I disappeared, I had some time to kill.

I lifted my head up to see a bright yellow mass of hair walking past the tower. Naruto.

I did feel sorry for him, after every incident that involves someone wanting to take/kill Naruto because of the jinchuuriki, Tsunade thought it best to not appoint him as an ANBU. She told him that he was a high risk as it was, if he became ANBU and was sent on seriously high level missions, it would be easier for enemies to take their target. He argued, of course, but I think deep down he knew she was right, and about two weeks later, he forgave her.

He seemed pretty content at the moment, considering we had another rogue ninja attempt to attack the village, and his best friends were on the ANBU squad sent to eliminate him.

As he walked happily by, a smirk formed on my lips. While my chakra was still low, he couldn't sense me.

I slowly bent down and picked up the can, waiting for the right moment to strike. As he bent down to pick up a shiny penny, I knew my moment had come.

With all the energy I could muster, I threw the can, and watched as it hit my target perfectly. Naruto yelped and clutched his butt as he turned around angrily, ready to punch whoever threw the can. But, alas, there was no one there. He blinked in confusion, looking at the can on the ground, and looking all around him. When there was nothing but silence, he started backing away slowly, before turning and running away. I chuckled to myself, feeling quite proud, as I saw the rest of my ANBU squad approaching the Hokage tower.

The two at the front, Kakashi and Kiba, had solemn looks on their faces, and I instinctively raised my hand to wave at them. Then, remembering my current state, decided against it. I moved out of the way as they walked past, and I accidentally brushed Kiba's arm. He stopped mid-walk, and looked around, unaware that he was looking straight at me. He rubbed his arm slowly, and continued to walk again. As the squad made their way up the stairs, I had a sudden urge to go after them.

They were the squad I was with. What if they found something after I'd gone? What if they were concerned about my well being? What if this invisibility thing will destroy the world?

I knew the last one was a bit of a stretch, but I didn't want to take the risk.

I followed the squad, now with Kiba at the back, through the same corridors I had only walked down ten minutes prior.

Kakashi knocked on Tsunade's door and waited for a reply. Almost immediately, she responded, and I was glad that she didn't sound drunk (when Shizune and I left, she was alone for at least an hour and a half. That is long enough for her), and everyone entered the room. I quickly brushed past Kiba before he shut the door in my face, and stood in an empty corner away from the rest of the squad. I don't know why I felt the need to hide, but I did anyway, and crouched down behind a cabinet.

"Kakashi. Were you able to capture the target?"

"I'm afraid not. Sakura ran ahead to keep up with him but … we couldn't find either of them when we scanned the area. Sakura's chakra ends in a clearing, where a lot of destruction has been caused."

Tsunade thought for a moment, the silence deafening the poor ANBU black ops that had no idea about what happened.

"I see. Well, I can assure you that Sakura is safe, she is back in Konoha. She wasn't able to defeat the target and returned."

I scowled at that phrase. _'It's not that I didn't defeat him, it's that he had that stupid invisibility thing.'_

Kiba looked up at Tsunade at that point. "Lady Tsunade, what do you mean she's back in Konoha? We weren't able to trace her chakra and no one's seen her. We thought she disappeared."

I watched Tsunade stifle more laughter at Kiba's wording. I rolled my eyes as Kiba looked confused.

"Don't worry Kiba, she lost a lot of her chakra during her fight with the target. Also, she's been with Shizune since her return, so that would explain why you haven't … seen … her." The blonde bit her lip to prevent even a smile breaking through. It looked like she wasn't going to tell the squad what happened to me. Maybe she thinks it'll sound better coming from my mouth. Or maybe she thinks it'll sound funnier. Probably the latter.

Suddenly, a shocked Shizune burst into the room, holding the pink scarf I had around my head earlier. Tsunade glared at the woman, "I'm in the middle of a meeting, Shizune. What is the meaning of this?"

"Tsunade-sama! I'm sorry to burst in like this, but it's Sakura. She's disappeared!"

"… I know, that's why I sent her with you …"

"No, Tsunade-sama, I mean she's gone." Shizune held up the scarf and watched Tsunade's eyes widen, the glare at nothing in particular.

"That girl is going to be in serious trouble when we find her."

Another ANBU member spoke up, taking his mask off as he did so. "Lady Tsunade? What's going on?"

I looked over and saw that it was Sasuke that asked. I'd forgot he was on my team at the moment. I almost feel bad for forgetting about him.

Sasuke had been back in the village for a few years now, after he realised he was an idiot and, in his words, 'let us win' in a fight against him, thus allowing us to bring him back. Some were happy to see him (the fangirls), others weren't so much (the fangirls' boyfriends). I was appointed as his doctor because he was a 'special case' (something I have called him to this very day) and needed the best medic in the village to deal with his eyes. Tsunade would've done it, but, alas, it would mean she wouldn't be able to have any sake during the healing procedure, and that would be at least a month.

So, the job was given to the second best. Moi.

I have to admit though, his face was priceless when he discovered that the second best medic nin in the entire village was me. I guess he naturally assumed that when/if he ever came back, I would be exactly the same as I was when we were twelve. Ha. I showed him.

Once Tsunade and the elders were fully convinced he would no longer leave the village (they made him do community service. Cleaning the streets, toilets, elderly homes, all of that kind of stuff. Would you do that if you weren't gonna stick around?) he was made to take the exams that he had missed, since, technically, he was still classed as a genin. He obviously passed every one, and within a couple of years he became ANBU.

But who wants to listen to a story about Sasuke?

Back to the actual interesting stuff.

Tsunade looked at the ANBU before her, a stern look on her face. "When Sakura fought against our unknown assailant, he used some sort of weaponry against her. Only, it turned her invisible."

There was silence in the room. No one really knew how to react to Tsunade's statement.

I sat in the corner silently, waiting for what would happen next. I was watching the faces of Kiba, Sasuke and Kakashi. Kakashi looked as though he was about to burst, Kiba had an eyebrow raised and Sasuke … well, was Sasuke.

Tsunade leaned back on her desk, arms folded and eyes closed. I knew, just by that pose, I was going to be in serious pain when I was visible again. Oh well. I might as well enjoy this while it lasts.

"So … how do we make her visible again?"

Kiba spoke up, trying to make sense of this new found information. Tsunade opened her eyes and looked at the boy. Her gaze softened, and she walked around her desk to face the window.

"We don't know. The assailant was smart. In all my years, I have never seen anything like this before. I originally sent Sakura with Shizune to try and test her, but it appears that Sakura had better things to do."

I gulped, suddenly not wanting to hear the conversation any more. I turned my head to the door, but Shizune had shut it tightly as she left the ANBU squad and Tsunade to their meeting. I sat in thought for a moment. I was invisible. Ghosts are invisible. Ghosts can walk through things …

Okay, I am actually going crazy now.

I continued to sit, and I noticed Kakashi sigh and roll his eyes, as if to say 'typical'. I glared at him.

Tsunade turned her head towards the ninja and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "You are all dismissed. I will try and learn more about this situation, and I will call you when something is discovered."

The team nodded simultaneously, and disappeared within a second, leaving me stuck here for the time being.

Why couldn't they walk through doors like normal people!

Tsunade sighed and sat at her desk, thinking. There was a small knock at the door, and Tsunade summoned the person in. Seeing it was Shizune again, she took no time reaching into her desk drawer and pulling out another bottle of sake. Shizune scowled slightly before presenting a few sheets of paper to the blonde.

"Shizune, I am not in the mood for paperwork now."

'_When are you in the mood for paperwork?'_ I couldn't help but wonder if I'd ever seen her _actually _complete anything …

"Tsunade-sama, this isn't paperwork. This is research."

At this, both mine and Tsunade's ears pricked up. Curious, I stood up and tip-toed over to the desk, peering over Shizune's shoulder as Tsunade took the papers from her.

"I know it's not much, but there isn't really anything based on invisibility. I'll keep looking, but this is all I've got so far."

Tsunade nodded absent-mindedly, completely lost in thought as she read what was on the paper. I squinted, trying to look, but I didn't dare get too close to Tsunade. I pouted, unable to read anything, so I stared at Tsunade's face, waiting for her reaction to what she was reading.

But, of course, it couldn't be that easy, and her face remained impassive throughout the entire time reading. She placed the papers down and looked at Shizune sternly.

"Thank you, Shizune. It's a start. See how much more you can find out, I'll do some investigating too."

Shizune nodded and walked to the door, and opened it, before turning back around to Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama? What … what should we do about Sakura?"

I took this opportunity to slink out of the office undetected, but stood by the door to listen for Tsunade's response.

"For the time being, don't worry about it. It's not like we can find her. I trust her to not do stupid things."

I smiled smugly at that, and almost ran down the corridor.

Time to do stupid things.

* * *

><p><strong>Normal P.O.V<strong>

Naruto continued to walk towards his destination. He wasn't about to admit that a ghost threw a can at him; even he knew it sounded stupid. Besides, he doubted Sasuke would believe him.

He knew Sasuke would be out of the meeting by now, so he was off to meet him at Ichiraku's, since Sasuke was still forced to stay at Naruto's house, so he had no choice but agree to eat with him. Naruto grinned from ear to ear, happy to have everything back to the way it used to be all those years ago. He turned into an alley separating the busy street to the road with Ichiraku's, and walked quicker, nearly drooling with anticipation. If Sasuke wasn't there yet, he would just start without him. Simples.

However, a noise behind him forced him to stop abruptly and turn around, seeing nothing but an overturned bin, its contents spewing out onto the concrete floor. Naruto went silent, waiting for a trace of chakra, but there was none. Convinced that ghosts were just messing around, he carried on walking.

That was, until he was shoved into a wall violently, knocking the breath out of him. Naruto regained his composure and went into a fighting stance, seeing nothing but thin air. He mustered a Rasengan, even though he didn't know what to do with it, and opted to spin around, hoping to catch the ghost.

The ground cracked beneath him, and Naruto jumped before he was swallowed whole. The Rasengan had stopped, and Naruto landed on a larger bin, panting heavily. Something came into contact with his face, and he flew backwards, hitting another wall.

Coughing up blood, Naruto tried standing up, but was picked up and thrown into the bin he was previously standing on, wondering how it opened. His head banged the side harshly, and he began to black out.

The lid of the bin closed slowly, and the last thing Naruto heard before going into deep unconsciousness was a chuckle …

**Omg WHAT! Yeah, I'm a bitch :D Also, I really feel I suck at normal POVs now xD I'm not overly sure how that ending turned out, but when I was at work, I had a MASSIVE idea, so, that was the start of it. **

**_SilenceIsTheKey_ – I know I promised some SasuSaku in this, and believe when I say it was there! But with my new found idea, I had to get rid of it. But it will maybe be in the next chapter! I almost promise! :D Also, I know I said it'd be up by Saturday … sorry about that. I was sooo tired haha. Then Sunday I had work and … yeah. But it's here now. Better late than never :p**

**_WingedMercury_ – I've never seen Homer Simpson drunk … :p Don't worry, Sakura is gonna be a full-on BAMF in this story ;D Also, some BAMF-like stalking will take place soon! :D**

**If anyone has any questions about who's doing what or when or why, give me a shout, and I will try to answer without giving anything away :D Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of _Inconspicuous_ :)**

**P.S: Just did the spell check, and where I wrote 'chakra-drained', the computer thought 'did you mean house-trained?' just made me giggle ^.^**

**Over and out.**

**-x-Emma-x-**


	3. Chapter the Third

**So … I'm only two weeks later than planned. Whoops.**

**But oh well. What's done is done, yada yada yada.**

**Shout out to _WingedMercury_, who is just totally awesome in every way! :)**

**Dislaimer: I have a massive bottle of mayonnaise on the table next to me that belongs to me, and that's about as far as my ownage to anything goes. Naruto, therefore, doesn't belong to me.**

**Summary: Because a day only ever gets worse the moment you think it can't. Still, this might be more fun than I thought … **

**Enjoy!**

_Coughing up blood, Naruto tried standing up, but was picked up and thrown into the bin he was previously standing on, wondering how it opened. His head banged the side harshly, and he began to black out. _

_The lid of the bin closed slowly, and the last thing Naruto heard before going into deep unconsciousness was a chuckle … _

**Inconspicuous**

**Chapter Three.**

I had to admit, I was having the time of my life. Never before had I realised how much fun I could have while being invisible! As a strange man on a recycling advert I saw once, the possibilities are endless.

Although, I think I may have given one elderly woman the biggest fright of her life. Whoopsie. That wasn't my fault though. I was having so much fun throwing pebbles at Kiba that I forgot other people could see them the way he did. So, naturally, she yelled 'GHOST!' before waddling as fast as she could to get away. Bless.

I had also silently changed almost all of the shōgi pieces when he wasn't looking, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching his confusion when he realised they were different.

I had done a lot of other things too … mostly to harass people … and was currently skipping along the road, watching the sun in the sky. It was strange how much more relaxed I was when no one could see me. I decided that I would go back to Tsunade. There was no doubt that she'd know about all my shenanigans by now, and she'd probably want a word.

Hopefully, it'd be a drunken one, and she won't actually kill me.

I sucked in a deep breath as I reached the all too familiar gate.

Here I go.

* * *

><p><strong>Normal P.O.V<strong>

Tsunade sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time in the last hour. She rubbed her temples gently as she leant on her desk, going over her previous conversation in her head.

-Flashback-

_Tsunade almost ran down the hall she knew like the back of her hand. She had been interrupted from her important paperwork ('paperwork' being her codeword for 'sake') because Shizune had told her that there was someone she needed to talk to. Bah. Why made her Hokage again? _

_Oh … right._

_She stood outside the door. It's number she knew all too well. She opened it quietly to reveal the back of Shizune's head, her choppy hair pulled into a tiny pony-tail. She was too busy writing on the clipboard she held to even hear Tsunade enter, but the loud 'click' of the door shutting was enough to almost send the clipboard out of the poor girl's hands as she turned around sharply to inspect the newcomer. Tsunade wasn't sure what made the girl so on edge, but as she took as closer look at the person sprawled unconscious on the bed, the realization became clear._

_Naruto Uzumaki was badly beaten, that much was obvious. She knew he hadn't been on any missions lately, which could only mean one thing. He was attacked in the village. _

"_He was found by an old lady who was placing something in a bin in a nearby alley and saw him lying inside. She brought him here as fast as she could looking scared out of her wits. That was when I called you. He's been stirring every now and then, but he hasn't been awake long enough to form a coherent sentence."_

_Tsunade nodded along to Shizune's explanation. Naruto was mending quickly, but that was far from the point. No one had reported any suspicious activity around the gates, and she knew Izumo and Kotetsu would have spotted if something was out of place. Unless … _

"_Shizune, is the woman still here?"_

_Shizune nodded, never taking her eyes off of Naruto's body. "She's in the waiting room. I'll let you know if he speaks."_

_Nodding her thanks, the blonde left the room as silently as she came in. She made her way towards the waiting room nearest Naruto's ward. Upon entering the room she saw an elderly lady sitting in a little chair, eyes cast to the floor and twiddling her thumbs. Her grey hair was up in a tight bun, but she looked like the kind of woman that would strongly spoil any grandchildren she had. She looked up at Tsunade, her ageing blue eyes piercing Tsunade's hazel ones. _

"_Thank you for waiting. I know you must be in shock."_

_That was always the case when a civilian's life crossed with a ninja's. Despite living in one of the areas most populated with ninja, they could never quite get used to the fact that ninjas suddenly appear in their everyday routine._

_The woman nodded slightly, the twiddling of the thumbs beginning to annoy the Hokage. She took a deep breath and sat across from the lady._

"_Could you explain what happened? Feel free to take as much time as you need."_

_Tsunade meant that. The longer this woman spoke, the longer it would take to get back to the office and actually _do _something. Much to her disappointment, however, the lady began talking almost straight away._

_"I never saw what happened to the boy. I was just on my way home, going a longer route than usual because I needed to discard some old magazines that I found in my house. I had an interesting morning beforehand, and just want to get rid of the magazines and get home. So I opened the bin quickly, and before I could dump the trash, I saw a boy lying in it, completely unconscious. I was shocked, but I knew he needed medical attention. That was when I bought him here. I still have the blasted magazines too."_

_She began mumbling to herself, and Tsunade looked at the magazine on top of the pile in a bag next to the woman, before suppressing a roll of her eyes. "I could take those magazines if you'd like. I can ensure they'll be dealt with if it's too much hassle for you."_

_The woman stopped mumbling, and looked up at Tsunade, first confused, then grateful. "Thank you, my dear. I think they belonged to my ex-husband several years ago. Do what you want with them._

_Tsunade picked up the bag of magazines and approached the door, "Thank you. You can leave whenever you want."_

"_Is the boy okay?"_

_Tsunade smiled warmly. "Yes, he'll be fine. He's already on the road to recovery."_

_The woman nodded curtly and stood up, smoothing her dress down. "First, I watch a guy get attacked by pebbles coming from nowhere, then I find a boy in the bin. What's next, an elephant dancing in my living room?"_

_Tsunade faltered at the door. "What was that?"_

"_Oh, don't mind me. Just rambling to myself, that's all. As if an elephant would find its way to Konoha."_

"_No, no, before that. A guy got attacked by pebbles?"_

_The woman looked at Tsunade as if she was crazy for wanting to find out more, but obliged and told the story. "It was probably just my imagination, but I was walking down the street, towards the alley, a boy with triangle marks on his cheeks suddenly started getting hit by pebbles. He tried to swat them away, but since they were coming from everywhere, he couldn't dodge them all. After that, I walked as quickly as I could towards the alley, where I found the boy. They're both your lot, aren't they? Both ninja?"_

_Tsunade inwardly scowled at the phrase 'your lot', but nodded nonetheless. "They are, yes. Thank you. You've been very helpful."_

_Tsunade left the room and almost ran again down the hallway toward Naruto's room. Before she reached it, Shizune shot out, nearly bumping into Tsunade in the process._

"_Oh, my! Sorry, Tsunade-sama. But it's Naruto. He just came to, and he said something about being attacked by a ghost! You don't think –"_

_Tsunade cut her off, not having to hear more. "The lady told me that before she found Naruto, she saw Kiba getting attacked 'out of nowhere'. It can't be a coincidence."_

_Shizune looked doubtful. "But, Tsunade-sama … Naruto's injuries were pretty serious. She wouldn't … would she?"_

_Tsunade thought very carefully. Yes, she deemed it unlikely for Naruto to get that wounded by anyone … but to be attacked by a 'ghost' almost directly before the same attack that Kiba faced … the obvious answer was just screaming at her. She couldn't not deny it._

"_I never thought so either. But I don't see another possibility. It had to have been Sakura."_

-End Flashback**-**

She didn't want it to be true. Kami, how she didn't want it to be true. But she had researched, and spoken to Naruto, and Kiba, and it all added up. She'd even had a visit from a confused-looking Shikamaru, who claimed that Sakura had ruined his game of shōgi, and actually boggled his mind. He'd started getting angry, claiming that his mind "doesn't boggle" and "how was it boggled?". Tsunade found that the word 'boggle' was soon going to be banned from Konoha after it's over-usage today.

She had also done a bit of research when she returned to her office. Although, this time, she had actually found something. It wasn't something good, but it was something. She needed to find Sakura. She needed to know whether Sakura was really responsible for all of this, of if people were just going crazy. Or in Naruto's case, crazier. Thinking of the knucklehead, she realised that throughout their entire conversation about what happened to him, she hadn't once mentioned that Sakura was invisible. Maybe that was for the better, she mused. It was bad enough with her feeling shit because of Sakura. If Naruto found out Sakura had deliberately nearly killed him, she knew he wouldn't be able to take it.

Just then, there was a small knock at her door. She summoned the person inside, and saw the door open by itself. A wash of relief flooded her. So Sakura came to her. Maybe she didn't do anything on purpose and was coming to Tsunade for help, feeling so devastated that she had caused so much pain and wanted to make it right.

The door closed, and Tsunade heard small footsteps approaching her desk. A piece of paper floated in the air for a moment, before a pen was grabbed and Sakura began drawing. If Tsunade hadn't gotten over the invisibility humour, she would probably be on the floor crying by now. But after her recent revelation, she just couldn't bring herself to look – no pun intended – at this in a funny light.

However, a small smile cracked on the blonde's face when Sakura held up the piece of paper to reveal that she had drawn a large smiley face on it, and held it up to where her own face would be. Ever the mature apprentice, it would seem.

Tsunade shook her head and focused. "Sakura, we need to talk."

"Oh … so you've heard about the stuff I did? I thought so …"

It wasn't hard for Tsunade to remember why she had laughed so much during Sakura's first visit to her office. A little voice inside her head told her to concentrate on being angry. She can have a little giggle to herself when Sakura has left the room.

"Yes. I've had several people coming to me, telling me that there has been a ghost on the loose in Konoha. Naruto in particular."

Sakura froze. Naruto blabbed to Tsunade about being hit. But it was so minor, why would he tell her? Also, why would he be the most 'in particular' one? If he gets her into massive trouble, she's gonna seriously hurt him.

"Tsunade … I can explain. It was just a bit of fun! I never knew Naruto would be that affected. Can you blame a girl for having a laugh when no one can see her? I know for a fact that you'd do the same."

Tsunade blinked at the girl. She … did it for fun? Naruto was nearly killed because she wanted to 'have a laugh'? The research that she had done was proving to become true.

"Sakura, I would never intentionally harm someone just because I could get away with it. And, just so you know, you haven't gotten away with it."

Sakura didn't know why Tsunade was so stern all of a sudden. She had found the whole thing hilarious only a few hours ago, and now she was acting like Sakura was the worst human ever. The smiley face paper fell from Sakura's face, gripping it tightly in her balled fist.

"Tsunade-shishou, with all due respect, I have been on edge for months. You have given me so many ANBU missions that I've lost count. I've barely had time to sleep. To eat. I hardly ever get to see Naruto any more because I'm always sent away before I can say 'hi'. So excuse me if I wanted to relax a little. If anything, this is all _your_ fault!"

Tsunade's eyes widened at Sakura's outburst, before she saw the screwed up piece of paper moving further away from her. The door was slammed open, and a scared looking Shizune and an indifferent Kakashi were revealed. Both were shoved aside harshly as Sakura left the room. Tsunade frowned, and allowed the two newcomers to enter.

"You said you wanted to see us, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune said, Tonton squealing in her grip. Kakashi stared at the door, now with several cracks in it. He subconsciously rubbed his shoulder where the impact – he presumed it was Sakura – hit him.

"Yes, I did. I have done some more research on this invisibility. Turns out, there has been one case before, but only the one. I couldn't find the exact details, but a man was turned invisible after being within range of a small object that burst a white light."

"That's what happened with Sakura!"

Tsunade nodded towards Shizune, who could help blurting things out when she was freaked. In the hands of an enemy, Tsunade knew that it wouldn't take long for them to get Shizune to talk. The elders had often spoken of getting rid of her as the Hokage's apprentice, saying that she was 'a liability'. But Tsunade had always said (yelled) that Shizune was to stay, and that's that. She knew how strong the girl could be, and she loved her like a daughter. Besides, who else would be able to force her to get some work done after hours of drinking Sake?

"Exactly. But after his transformation, he began to act … differently. He didn't have a name, but the paperwork said that he was an all together nice man, the kind that loved his family and wouldn't do a thing to harm anyone. After he turned invisible, odd things began to happen. His temper was short, and the thrill of doing things without being seen got the better of him. He would fight people, argue, pull tricks … he could get away with murder. Literally. He began to kill those that would harm his family, but after a while, things got more intense. The power overcame him, and soon he just killed for the sake of killing."

The office was quiet for a moment, as the two standing processed the information. Was Tsunade saying that this would happen to Sakura? Kakashi didn't dare allow that thought to enter his mind. Sakura was his best (and favourite) student. He had watched grow into a mature (well … sometimes) and strong woman. He had been with her through the hardest times, like when both Sasuke and Naruto left to get more power. Hell, he thought of her as his daughter.

Now he was being told that she would reduce to killing? That just wasn't right. "No. I refuse to believe that Sakura would do something like that. She's strong, strong enough to fight this thing."

"So was that man. Look, Kakashi, I'm not saying it's going to turn out exactly the same. But you felt her leave just now. The anger and frustration was something I've never seen from her before. Not to that extent. She hospitalised Naruto _and_ blamed me for her becoming this way. I think it's fair to say she's not acting like herself."

"What … what happened to the man? Did he ever lose the invisibility?"

Tsunade sighed again. She was almost hoping no one would ask this question. But she knew they had to know. For their sake.

"No. No one could find a cure for the invisibility. Not to mention, everyone was too scared in case he'd kill them. Eventually, he ran away, and, according to this he … disintegrated."

"Disintegrated? How so?"

Tsunade looked at Kakashi in the eye, "He just … disintegrated. Disappeared. No one heard from him, the killings stopped, and he just vanished."

Kakashi couldn't stop his heart beating fast. He was sure the females could hear it, but he couldn't care less. "How long did it take for that to happen?"

Tsunade looked down at her desk, the bottle of Sake in her top drawer begging to be opened and downed in two.

"A month."

Five minutes. Ten minutes. Thirteen minutes. The office had been completely silent. Shizune was trying to hold herself together, while Kakashi just stared at the ground. Tsunade knew how hard he would be taking it, and began to play with the handle of a bag underneath her desk. It probably wasn't the right time to bring it up, but the only other times she saw him was when he was about to go on a mission.

"I'm going to do more research. There has to be some kind of cure somewhere."

The other two occupants of the room glanced at Shizune. She had a determined look on her face and straightened her back. She was not about to let one of her closest friends die without doing whatever she could to bring her back. She turned on her heel after nodding her goodbyes, and left the office. Kakashi remained in his spot looking at Tsunade.

"Will that really happen to Sakura?"

"Who knows, Kakashi. One small story really isn't enough to go on. But for now, we should just focus on getting our Sakura back. The one we all know and love. She'll thank us for it eventually."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, but his eyes didn't crinkle like they usually do. He raised his hand to wave goodbye and turned to leave the room too.

"Oh, Kakashi?"

He turned his head and watched a bag fly at him from Tsunade's desk. He caught it effortlessly, but narrowed his eye at the amusement sparking in hers. "I got something for you."

Kakashi hesitantly peeped into the bag, before opening it up fully. His eyes widened and he looked back at Tsunade, who smirked knowingly. "I thought you might need to take your mind off things. Shizune and I will focus on Sakura. You relax."

Kakashi nodded slightly, before making some hand signs and disappearing with a 'poof'. Tsunade smiled and leaned back in her chair, opening the top drawer and gently picking up the bottle of sake as if it were her child. She opened it and took one large swig, before swishing the liquid content around it's container. She sighed as she gazed lovingly at the bottle.

"I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

**Ta-dah! Okay, I'll be honest. I don't know why I don't get many reviews for this, coz personally I think this is the best fic I've written. I'm so proud of it. But meh. I've stopped worrying about reviews now. Like _WingedMercury_ always says. I'm writing this for ME! (But seriously, review please)**

**At first, I was thinking this would kind of be a filler chapter, just to start me writing it again, but the more I wrote, the more I realised how much this chapter needed to be here haha. Wasn't the little old lady awesome? I liked her. But I couldn't think of a name, hence why she's nameless :D **

**Also, I wanna know, at the start of the chapter, in Sakura's P.O.V, did you all notice how she was acting differently? Patronising and stuff? Coz that's what I was trying to get across. But I don't know if it worked -shrug- I found the flashback pretty cool, I quite enjoy writing about Tsunade. She's fun :D**

**P.S: I wonder what those magazines were …. -wink, wink, nudge nudge- ;) eh, I thought they would help Kakashi out. The little Shizune paragraph. Awwh. Don't you just love that girl? I have never met someone that didn't like Shizune. She's so awesome. **

**I even managed to sneak Izumo and Kotestsu in too! I love Izumo. He's one of my favourite characters. **

**Still no SasuSaku, you say? Never fear, the next chapter will be less serious. Sakura's gonna have some more fun, but with our favourite guy. Apparently, I'm pretty good at 'burning' Sasuke, so this is gonna be a lot of fun for me ;D Don't worry _Wings_ … It will be done :D**

**The more reviews I get, the bigger Kakashi's new pile of magazines will get! A happy Kakashi makes a very happy everyone else! :D**

**Over and Out!**

**-x-Emma-x-**


	4. Chapter the Fourth

**Hello! I love you people! I got 4 reviews in one night! You people are so awesome! **

**I wanna thank _SilenceIsTheKey_ for her two reviews, _WingedMercury_, and _Ur worst nightmare452_who is anonymous, but THANK YOU! You guys are the bestest :)**

**I love how everyone is going against Sakura for her evilness … oh boy I can't wait to tell you all my plans. Muahaha :D**

**Disclaimer: Naruto would have probably been destroyed by now if I owned it, so no. It's safer in Kishi's hands.**

**Summary: Because a day only ever gets worse the moment you think it can't. Still, this might be more fun than I thought … **

**Enjoy!**

_Kakashi hesitantly peeped into the bag, before opening it up fully. His eyes widened and he looked back at Tsunade, who smirked knowingly. "I thought you might need to take your mind off things. Shizune and I will focus on Sakura. You relax."_

_Kakashi nodded slightly, before making some hand signs and disappearing with a 'poof'. Tsunade smiled and leaned back in her chair, opening the top drawer and gently picking up the bottle of sake as if it were her child. She opened it and took one large swig, before swishing the liquid content around it's container. She sighed as she gazed lovingly at the bottle._

"_I'm gonna need all the help I can get."_

**Inconspicuous**

**Chapter Four**

I shoved past Shizune and Kakashi as I stormed out of the office. Who did Tsunade think she was? Yelling at me, Sakura Haruno, all because of a stupid little incident that didn't even matter that much. I knew Naruto was one to blow things out of proportion, but Tsunade? Something wasn't right with her.

I rubbed my shoulder subconsciously. Damn, I forgot how bony Kakashi was.

I sighed and walked out of the building. I wasn't in the mood to annoy people, so instead I opted for trying to find them instead. I haven't seen Sasuke since the meeting and I haven't seen Naruto since before that. I began walking in a certain direction, when I faintly heard the loudness that was Naruto Uzumaki. Despite everything I said earlier about killing Naruto for getting me into trouble, I couldn't help the smile that formed on my see-through face.

He, of course, was standing outside Ichiraku's, with none other than Sasuke himself. Awesome. The two very people I wanted to see.

Sasuke was just standing, listening to Naruto ramble on, and to anyone that didn't know the man, they'd say he didn't care. But to someone who knows him as well as I do, it's not that he doesn't care, he just can't be bothered to. I was still too far away to hear what the blonde was saying, but he didn't seem to happy about it.

I casually walked up to them, and caught the end of the conversation.

* * *

><p><strong>Normal P.O.V<strong>

"… next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital bed trying to convince Shizune I'm not crazy. It's crazy!"

"Still getting yourself into trouble, I see."

Naruto's ears perked up at the sound of the feminine voice, and Sakura smirked when he turned around excitedly.

"Sakura-cha– … Sakura-chan? Where'd you go? Did you hear that, Teme?"

Sakura hoped Sasuke would shake his head and pretend he never heard a thing, but he was never one for playing along. "She's here, Naruto. Hey, Sakura."

Naruto gave Sasuke a very strange look, before turning his head from side to side, still looking for the pinkette.

"Hey, Sasuke. Has no one told you yet, Naruto?"

Naruto's jaw dropped as he stared at the empty space where the voice came from. "Told me what? Nobody tells me anything! What's going on?"

Sakura sighed, "It's a long story, Naruto."

"Sakura got impatient on our last mission, fought the bad guy, got turned invisible."

"… Apparently not that long."

Naruto's expression hardened immediately as the cogs in his brain slowly clicked into place. Sasuke was staring at (what he assumed was) Sakura's position next to Naruto. Naruto had told him the entire story about his 'ghost fighter', and he knew from the start that it would most likely be Sakura behind it, but something told him that it wasn't her. It _couldn't_ be her. She was the only sane one in team 7, she wouldn't attack Naruto that badly for no reason. Besides, she usually enjoys beating him up when people can watch. It humiliates Naruto and makes her look stronger. Win win. Something didn't add up.

"Wait … so … you …"

"Yeah, it was me. But the look on your face was priceless, right! It was so worth it."

Naruto's jaw dropped to the ground. Sakura chuckled to herself and Sasuke scowled. He may hate the blonde idiot, but he needed someone to compete with. Besides, if, after all this time, _Sakura_ had been the one to kill him, Sasuke would be pissed.

"Jeez, why so serious? Naruto, I was only kidding! You, of all people should know how to take a joke. Right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke continued to stare in her direction. He knew Sakura, and he knew that she was acting way to nonchalant about this to be talking about the same thing Naruto was.

"What did you do?"

Naruto turned to look at his brother-turned-enemy-turned-brother. His eyebrows were raised, as if to point out that Sasuke was an idiot for asking such a question.

"... I threw a can at his ass. I thought that's what you guys were talking about? By the way, Naruto, was it really necessary to exaggerate it to Tsunade? She tried to make it out like I almost killed you or something."

Both Naruto and Sasuke stood with blank faces.

"What? I'm not talking about – wait, that was you! I thought there was an evil ghost terrorising me!"

Sakura laughed, "Nope, it was all me. But, in all seriousness, your face was amazing. I wish I had an invisible camera with me, I should've taken a picture of the moment."

Naruto's forehead jolted back slightly, and he began to panic before he realised it was Sakura poking him.

"How come we can't sense you? It's like you have no chakra."

Sakura thought for a moment. "You know, I have no idea. Next time I see Tsunade or Shizune I'll ask. Maybe the invisibility prevents people from sensing my chakra. Which is pretty handy; makes it easier to cause havoc."

Sasuke contemplated what was going on. Sakura had been talking about the can incident … maybe she didn't know about the attack on Naruto? But then, it's not every day invisible people wander the streets (well, he thought anyway. To be fair, he hadn't _seen_ any), and it was too much of a coincidence for the attack to happen just after Sakura's bout of invisibility. Naruto hadn't sensed any chakra, and even now, no chakra came from the girl supposedly in front of them.

What was going on?

"So … why'd you do it Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke pushed his attention to Naruto, who looked at the ground, shuffling his feet. Sasuke almost hoped that the conversation wouldn't be brought up again; he and Sakura had been on the ANBU mission for a couple of days, and this was the first time the three had (kind of) been together since their departure.

"Look, I didn't think it would mean that much to you. I'm sorry for throwing the can."

"Not that, Sakura-chan. Why did you attack me in the alley?"

Naruto never liked to talk about fights where he lost. It brought him down and made him feel like he was still that little kid that never did anything right. If Sakura had really attacked him … he didn't know what to feel. The girl who had been like a sister to him for several years, nearly killing him? He expected that from Sasuke (and he immediately pictures Sasuke 'like a sister' … Naruto decided Sasuke did _not_ look good in a dress.), they had their on and offs. But Sakura? It didn't make sense.

* * *

><p><strong>Sakura P.O.V<strong>

I just stood. I was stunned. Attack? In an alley? Naruto? I knew I had done some horrible things whilst being invisible (and, honestly, that spider deserved to be squished. Crawling around as if it owned the place. Please.) but I wouldn't … _couldn't_ hurt Naruto. Well, not badly enough to call it an _attack_.

"Naruto, what are you talking about? I never –"

"You know what I'm talking about. You threw me into a bin! I had to shower for hours! Shizune thought I was going mental when I first said I was attacked by a ghost, but now I know I was wrong. How could you? You're my best friend."

The two of us missed the slight cough from Sasuke. I was angry. First, Tsunade yells at me for nothing, now this?

"Naruto, you _are_ mental. I have never attacked you in an alley! I don't know why you think I would. Me, of all people!"

"Well, I don't see any other invisible people, do you?"

As much as I wanted to laugh at that ridiculous comment, he had a point. I knew for a fact that it wasn't me. But then, who could it have been? Like he said, there weren't any other invisible people walking around.

"Maybe you just had your eyes closed. I can't believe you'd think I would do something so … dangerous!"

"Sakura, you have superhuman strength. The ground opened in front of me. Even if you weren't the only invisible person around, no one else I know can do that. So tell me, Sakura, why you did it. I won't hate you. I can understand why you lied, but you can stop now."

I don't believe it! How could this guy – my _brother_ – honestly think that I would do something like that. "You think I'm lying to you? Well that's just great. You know what? I wish I _did_ do it. Maybe then I wouldn't have you accusing me of things I didn't do! C'mon, Sasuke."

I turned loudly, and began to stop away. I stopped when I didn't hear footprints behind me. "Sasuke?"

He was just standing, looking like a child who had to choose between his two best friends.

Oh … right …

He opened his mouth before shutting it promptly. He repeated this several times, before I got bored.

"Fine. Believe him instead. I don't care. It's not the first time you've left me."

"Sakura …"

He may have said more. I didn't wait to find out. After I finished, I began to run. I was hurt. The two people closest to me thought I'd become some homicidal maniac. But I hadn't. I didn't know what Naruto was talking about.

I scared several civilians as I rushed past them – their groceries and other things being sent high into the air – but I didn't care. I wanted to get as far away from Ichiraku's as possible.

I carried on running until I went past a certain shop. I stopped abruptly and looked through the window. I smirked as I saw a blonde girl arranging some flowers near the back of the shop.

I had told myself before I met up with Naruto and Sasuke that I wasn't going to cause any more trouble. However, I needed to de-stress, and lately I found that making mischief was the easiest (and most fun) way to do it. Besides, Shikamaru wouldn't have seen the girl in the shop yet, since he was still racking his brains about his shōgi pieces being ruined.

Which meant that Ino didn't know about my invisibility.

Bingo.

I opened the shop door slowly. I know Ino will kill me for this when she can see me again, but I might as well make the most of this time.

Ino looked up at the sound of the bell chiming its welcome to the customer. When she never saw anybody enter, she simply shrugged and continued with her arrangement.

I tapped the tip of my fingers together, and instantly felt like Mr Burns from The Simpsons. Excellent.

I walked behind Ino and brushed my fingers up my back, causing her to shudder and turn around. She scratched her back slowly before going back to her flowers. I had already freaked her out.

This is so much fun.

* * *

><p><strong>Unknown P.O.V<strong>

I stood on the opposite side of the street to Yamanaka Flowers. The street was empty; not a soul in sight. Including me. I smirked at the idea, switching my legs so that the left one was placed on the ground, my right being propped up against the wall behind me. I'd had a pretty day to be honest. I never would've thought pretending to be someone else would be so exciting.

-Flashback-

_I heard footsteps stomping away quickly, and turned to see where they were coming from. The Jinchuuriki and the Uchiha were standing outside the ramen stand, both looking … hurt? The blonde lowered his head to the ground and waddled inside, taking his seat and slumping his shoulders as he ordered his food. The Uchiha continued to stare after his invisible friend, a frown forming. _

"_Sasuke, aren't you coming in? I'll treat ya."_

_Sasuke stayed outside for a little while longer, before deciding that an offer from his fellow ninja opting to buy the food was one to be taken, and went to head inside. _

_I ran up to him, and stuck my foot out at the last minute._

_It happened in slow motion._

_Sasuke's eyes widened as he tripped. Having not been paying attention, he was too shocked to get his arms to prop him up. Instead, he went face down in the dirt, refusing to get up as other people around him started to laugh. I chuckled quietly as a blonde head stood beside his friend. _

"_Sasuke? What're you doing down there? Ichiraku's is this way."_

"_Hn."_

"… _Do you want me to help you up?"_

"_Naruto, you baka, I'm fine. I must've tripped on a stone or something."_

_I watched Naruto scan the area around Sasuke._

"_Teme, there's nothing here. I think you're getting clumsy in your old age."_

_Sasuke stood up quickly, brushing the dirt of the street off his clothes. His cheeks were stained pink with embarrassment. This was brilliant._

_He sent a death glare to everyone who had laughed, and they instantly shut up and carried on with their day. _

_Naruto patted him on the shoulder sympathetically, though I could tell he was trying to suppress his laughter. Sasuke scowled before silently walking inside._

-End Flashback-

I smiled at the reminder of Sasuke's face hidden in the pavement. It may not have been as satisfying as an unconscious Naruto in a bin, but it would do for now. Besides, I have bigger things to focus on.

I focused my attention back onto the flower shop as a small scream was heard. I watched the door be shoved open quickly, the bell ringing loudly, the contrast between the shop and the quietness of the street seemed to make the sound all the more deafening.

As the door clicked shut, I heard a humming wander past me down the street. Sakura seemed to be skipping away.

Perfect.

I waited for the humming and footsteps to disappear, before I slowly walked towards the shop. As I opened the door, I couldn't help but smirk at the damage. Flowers had been thrown onto the floor, dirt and soil was strewn everywhere. The blonde girl in front of me had her hair mangled and covered with dirt, as if Sakura poured a pot of soil over her head. She held more annoyance in her blue eyes than panic, which irritated me.

On the whole, despite ruining the flower shop itself, Sakura hadn't physically hurt this girl standing before me. I was a little disappointed.

The girl had been so distraught with the latest happenings that the only thing that noticed my arrival was the poor bell above the door. I began to walk towards her, the smirk never leaving my face. She was crouched over, picking up some red flowers and messily placing them in a vase on the table. As she went to pick up one lone white one, I stood on the other end, causing the stem to break in her hand.

The girl froze in place, and I could immediately sense the fear radiating off of her. She stood up slowly, the broken flower still clutched in her hand.

"I know you're here. You don't scare me! I will fight if I have to!"

Bless. She actually thinks she stands a chance.

She stood in a fighting position, and I chuckled at her 'bravery'. I clasped my hand around her throat and lifted her off the ground. Her feet swished back and forth, and her hands went straight to her neck in an attempt to fight me off. I'd never realised before how much ninjas relied on their abilities and instincts to fight. It amused me, nevertheless.

The girl (who I assumed to be a Yamanaka) choked slightly, and moved one hand from her neck to the vase on the table beside her. With a slight push, she knocked the vase onto the ground, smashing it to pieces in front of me. I wasn't sure what she was trying to do, until I heard a noise come from upstairs.

"Ino? Honey is everything okay?"

So that was the plan. She was trying to get the attention of someone. Clever. Ino? Why would you call your child pig? It's just downright rude.

I heard movement on the stairs, but I wasn't worried. This ended up working better than I first planned.

Suddenly, a man appeared at the doorway. His blonde hair and pale eyes made it obvious that he was the girl's father. Seeing his daughter hanging in the air by herself made him go instantly into ninja-mode. Ino's breathing was slowly decreasing, but I didn't have the time to finish the job now. Besides … I wasn't one for audiences.

I carelessly threw the blonde across the shop, watching as her back collided with the wall, causing a loud crack and the whole room to shudder violently. The girl's father ran towards her, and never even stopped to notice the door open, the friendly bell being yanked from it's place on the wall, and thrown onto the ground, before the door silently came to a close.

I was annoyed that I had failed yet again, but I didn't let it get to me too much. All of the false accusations were driving Sakura crazy. I know that Sakura won't be far from her tipping point now …

It was only a matter of time.

**Dun-dun-DUUUUUUUUUUUUN! Ohhh, I'm a bitch. I love it :D Also, getting this up the next day? (In England time, anyway). I never even thought that was possible! But I just got so happy and so excited after seeing the reviews, I just had to write it! **

**So, 'unknown P.O.V' is a right bumfluff, aren't they! I can't even believe what I did to Ino. I love Ino. Poor Ino :( I'm sorry Ino lovers. If it wasn't her, it would've been Hinata. And I just can't do that to Hinata. **

**What am I doing to Sakura? The poor girl. Still, this chapter held a bit more humour than the last one I think, still had that little serious moment with Naruto though. Poor guy. **

**Why do I feel sorry for everyone in this story? **

**_WingedMercury_ – Well, she couldn't have an invisible camera, but she wished for one! Also, I managed to sneak in a small 'Sasuke in a dress' just for you, but there may still be something better than that soon. Who knows what this 'unknown' person could do! OR Sakura, for that matter :D (By the way, the flashback was written for your entertainment ;D)**

**_SilenceIsTheKey –_ You are so quick to judge! :p But I hope you liked this chapter! Was it twisty enough? :D**

**_Ur worst nightmare452 –_ Since I can't reply to your review, I just have to immensely thank you here :) Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Did you notice the little shoulder rubbing? It was the exactly the same as Kakashi! Talk about father-daughter instincts! :p**

"**She tried to make it out like I almost killed you or something." - Probably one of my favourite lines in this chapter xD**

**Anyway, REVIEW, AND … I'LL UPDATE! :D**

**Over and out!**

**-x-Emma-x-**


	5. Chapter the Fifth

**So, it occurred to me that I'm going away next weekend for a whole week. For some reason, people really wanna see the next chapter of _Inconspicuous_, so figured, I better hurry up. So, here goes.**

**I loved the reaction by you all over the ending of the last chapter. It was so exciting! :D**

**Thanks to**

_**SilenceIsTheKey**_

_**WingedMercury**_

_**Ur Worst Nightmare452 **_

**Coz you guys are awesome, and I love you :)**

**Disclaimer: I'm ill, and I have had to listen to my next door neighbours constantly drilling and hammering away all day. I have no witty lines, I just don't own Naruto.**

**Enjoy!**

_I carelessly threw the blonde across the shop, watching as her back collided with the wall, causing a loud crack and the whole room to shudder violently. The girl's father ran towards her, and never even stopped to notice the door open, the friendly bell being yanked from it's place on the wall, and thrown onto the ground, before the door silently came to a close._

_I was annoyed that I had failed yet again, but I didn't let it get to me too much. All of the false accusations were driving Sakura crazy. I know that Sakura won't be far from her tipping point now … _

_It was only a matter of time._

**Inconspicuous**

**Chapter Five**

**Sakura P.O.V**

Something isn't right.

I wasn't sure what tipped me off first. Whether it was walking past the Yamanaka in the morning to see ANBU officers standing outside talking to a distressed Inoichi, or hearing Tsunade's yells from the bottom of the tower, or me pulling the slightest trick on someone and having them glare in my general direction like I'd done something wrong.

All I knew, was that something wasn't right.

After hearing the noise coming from the Hokage tower, I decided not to go there, and opted for finding someone else that knows … well, everything.

Sure enough, as I turned a corner, I saw pineapple shaped hair walking in front of me. Shikamaru was one of the highest ANBU members; he'd know about whatever the hell was going on.

I jogged up to his figure, his hands stuffed into his pockets and a hard look on his face. Just looking at his expression told me that he knew about this.

I lightly placed my hand on his arm so as not to freak him out. "Shika?"

He turned around and looked at me, the expression never leaving his face. "Sakura. What do you want?"

I flinched at that. Shikamaru and I had grown pretty close over the last few years, especially when we were placed in the same ANBU team for missions. But even before we became friends, he'd never spoken to me so harsh before. It worried me.

"I was just wondering if you knew what's going on around here. People are really freaking out, Tsunade sounds like she's gonna turn into the Incredible Hulk if she keeps this anger up, and Inoichi seemed really upset."

At the sound of Inoichi's name, Shikamaru himself flinched. He glared in my direction and shrugged my hand off of his arm. Why was he acting like this? What had I supposedly done now?

"Upset is an understatement. This is all your fault, Sakura. If I were you, I'd lay low for a while. You've made a lot of people pissed."

With that, Shikamaru walked off. I blinked as I watched his retreating form. My fault? I know I destroyed the flower shop, but something tells me Inoichi wouldn't be that upset about it. It's only some flowers. I ran after Shikamaru, desperate for some answers,, "Shika, wait! If this is about the flower shop, it was only –"

"A joke? Yeah, that's all this is to you, isn't it? You really wanna know how much damage you've caused? Head to the hospital. If it wasn't for you, Ino wouldn't be there."

He walked away once more, and this time, I let him go. The hospital? Why was Ino at the hospital? I'm pretty sure she didn't work on Thursdays …

Knowing better than to ignore Shikamaru's words, I turned and headed in the direction of the hospital. Was this another one of those things where people say I'm doing stuff when I hadn't? If this was just another Naruto situation, I really couldn't be bothered to deal with it.

The hospital came into my line of sight, and it seemed busier than usual. Through the front doors I could see Shizune running around reception frantically. Realisation hit me. Of course. With me being invisible, they're one highly skilled medic down. The only other people that were within my skill range were Tsunade and Shizune – and Tsunade didn't really sound like she was ready to treat any patients for the time being.

The doors opened upon my arrival and I walked in. I scanned the crowd for Ino's blonde hair, but saw nothing. Maybe she was treating someone in a ward. I silently walked around the back of the reception area, trying not to frighten the poor girl on duty. She already looked ready to rip her hair out.

I looked at the folders placed on the desk messily. If Ino was treating someone, then the documents would tell me where. I still didn't know why I had to see her. I guess she was just distraught about the wreckage and Shikamaru wanted me to apologise. Yeah, that must be it.

I continued to flick through the documents until one caught my eye. It read: _"Yamanaka, Ino – Ward 14."_ Wait … Ino was a patient? That didn't make sense. I didn't destroy the shop that badly, did I? Since the folder was at the bottom, I wasn't able to take it out unless I wanted to be found out, so instead I just made my way to Ward 14, not knowing what I was going to find.

I passed Shizune on the way, who clearly hadn't had much sleep. After watching her give a person TonTon instead of a glass of water (which she was now stroking), I decided to just let her be. If Shizune found out I was here, Tsunade would find out I was here. If Shikamaru really thinks _I_ did something, chances are Tsunade did too. I had to tread carefully.

I waited at the elevator doors patiently. The familiar _ding_ sounded, and they opened, five people leaving the metal box. Once everyone was out, I stepped in and pressed button number three. The doors closed and the elevator began to climb higher through the building. When it reached the second floor, however, the elevator stopped, and opened the doors, revealing a panicked looking Hinata.

I mentally gave a sigh of relief. It was only Hinata. She turned and shuffled the paperwork in her arms so that she could press the button for floor three. Seeing it was already highlighted, she huffed, and re-shuffled the paperwork to how it was before.

It was only now I realised that this was the first time I had seen Hinata since I had come back from the mission. I wonder if she knew about my condition …

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, Hinata's head turned and looked directly at me, her eyebrows furrowed. I held my breath. Could she see me? Did she know I was there? Would she tell Shizune?

About a minute went past, before she used her free arm to flick a bit of dirt off her shoulder. So that was what she was looking at.

Another _ding_ broke me from my train of thought, and the doors opened once more, the lady announcing that we were on the third level. I let Hinata go first, and followed closely behind. I already had an inkling as to where she was going.

Sure enough, as Hinata reached Ward 14, she stopped and opened the door. I waited for her to walk in, and realised that as she did, she left the door open. Hinata never left the doors to wards open; she respected the patient's privacy too much. Still, I shrugged it off, figuring that she must've simply forgotten.

I tiptoed in after her, and looked towards the bed. I had to restrain myself from gasping.

Lying unconscious, with a faint _beep_ coming from the heart monitor beside her, was Ino Yamanaka. Her long, blonde hair was out of it's usual pony-tail style and sprawled around her on the pillow. Her arms were covered in wires, and an IV drip hung from a pole on her left. Her blue eyes were hidden behind her eyelids, and there were faint bruises covering her neck.

Tears threatened to fall as I looked at the body of my best friend. Who would do something like this?

_'If it wasn't for you, Ino wouldn't be there…'_

Did Shikamaru think _I _was responsible for this? Did the entire town think I was responsible? No one in their right mind could think I did this to Ino.

"You shouldn't be here … Sakura-chan."

I jumped and turned my head to the pearl-eyed girl writing on a piece of paper at the end of Ino's bed. How did she know I was here? Unless …

"Hinata? Can you … see me?"

Hinata smiled sadly. "No. I can sense your chakra." The quiet girl seemed to sense my confusion too, as she then pointed to her eyes. "Byakugan."

I nodded silently. Hinata was a Byakugan user, she was trained to see things that no ordinary ninja could see.

She finished writing and placed the paper onto a table, looking at Ino's lifeless face.

"She was attacked by an unknown assailant. Her father said that he walked in to find her being held in the air, like there was an invisible noose around her neck. Next thing he knew, she was flung across the shop."

"Invisible … right."

"Tsunade-sama's furious. She refuses to believe it."

"Do you?"

Hinata was quiet for a moment, before looking directly at me. "Sakura-chan, I'm aware that your invisibility makes you think you can get away with anything … but I know you wouldn't harm Ino-chan. Never to this extent."

"Well, at least someone believes me."

Hinata sighed. "Naruto-kun and the others do too. They're just confused. Given your current predicament, I can't blame them. They want to be able to blame someone for these things. Blaming you probably makes the most sense in their eyes."

I smiled fondly at the Hyuuga. She had become so much more confident over the last few years, and her stutter had completely gone. She had also become a pretty good medic, too, which was probably why she was appointed to look after Ino. I looked back at the blonde.

I understood where Hinata was coming from, but just because I understood, didn't make it fair. Naruto and the others had no right to accuse me of this just because they want to place the blame somewhere. Just that thought alone annoyed me to no end.

"Do you wanna go for a walk? Clear your head a bit? I'll come with you, if you like."

Hinata's soft voice ran through my head. The weather was pretty warm, and the hospital's stuffiness seemed to suffocate me as I continued to stare at the blonde. "Yeah. Yeah I think I'd like that."

The Hyuuga heiress smiled and nodded. She walked towards the door, waiting for my footsteps behind her. "What about Ino?"

"Ino-chan is stable, there's not really anything else I can do for now. Besides, I could do with some fresh air myself. But you must be silent; if Shizune finds out you're here, she'll call Tsunade-sama."

I nodded, though she wouldn't see it, and walked out behind her, waiting for her to shut the door. We walked down the corridor in silence until we reached the elevator. The doors _ding_'ed their welcome and we walked inside. Thankfully, we were the only two there, which helped me relax a considerable amount.

"Thank you, Hinata, for believing me. I don't know what's going on, or who's doing it … but having at least one person on my side helps. I –"

_Second Floor._

I stopped in place as the doors opened to reveal a glum looking Naruto. Upon seeing Hinata, his face lit up, and he grinned, though anyone who knew the knucklehead well enough would know that it was a fake.

"Hina-chan! What're you doing here?"

I watched Hinata turn a light shade of red as Naruto stepped into the elevator. She shuffled so that she was in front of me as he leaned on the wall on the opposite side. His head was tilted to one side, and his cerulean eyes were filled with curiosity. I smiled, despite my annoyance towards the blonde, as his oblivious ways still managed to impress me.

Hinata still hadn't been able to pluck up the courage to tell Naruto how she felt. Naruto, on the other hand, had the courage to tell her, he was just too scared of having to face Neji. Which meant that neither would admit their feelings, and neither had a clue that the other felt the same.

It was like an inside joke, only, it was one that involved the entire village but those two.

"N-Naruto-kun! I was w-working … what about y-you?" Hinata pinched her fingers together and acted like her thirteen-year-old self again. She always did whenever she was around the Uzumaki.

Naruto shrugged and stared at the floor. "Tsunade kept insisting that I get regular check ups since Sakura attacked me. I don't know whether she thinks I need some kind of therapy or something, but these check ups don't do much else. I feel fine, the only problem is the fact that it was Sakura that did it … I don't think I can forgive and forget that …"

Hinata held her breath, no doubt feeling awkward that he was completely unaware that he was saying all of this in front of me.

Forgive and forget? _Forgive and forget?_ There was nothing _to_ forgive and forget, because I hadn't done anything in the first place! I balled my fists and glared at Naruto. It took everything I had to not punch him in the face. I unclenched my fists unwillingly. If it wasn't for this whole Ino fiasco, his face would be embedded into the elevator wall by now.

After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, the doors opened as it reached the ground floor, and the three of us stepped out. Naruto nodded to Hinata and bounded off for the exit, most likely going to Ichiraku's.

The lobby was just as busy as it was when I came in, and Shizune was still rushing around after patients. Hinata walked calmly, smiling at the odd member of staff as they passed, and I wondered why what Naruto said didn't bother her in the slightest.

Oh, right. It's Naruto.

Had I been in a better mood, I may have seen the stack of files on the floor before me. Had I not been glaring at the front door, I may have stepped around it. Had I not been invisible, people would know it was just clumsy Sakura tripping over it.

However, since I was in a crappy mood, and I was still picturing Naruto's face in my head, and I was invisible, I was oblivious to the large pile and walked directly into it.

Hinata's eyes widened as the files and pieces of loose paper flew everywhere around me, and the people in the lobby gasped at the sudden noise. Some were even trying to feel if there was a gust of wind, but Shizune, knowing fully well how warm it was outside, knew that wasn't the case. Her eyes darted towards the now demolished stack then glanced at the corridor I had come down (she judged the way the paperwork fell) and her eyes widened when she must've realised I'd come from the direction of Ino. I knew exactly what was going through her head.

She didn't think it was just clumsy Sakura tripping and causing a scene.

She thought it was homicidal Sakura running from the scene of a crime.

Shit.

I went to grab Hinata's arm, but stopped myself. I didn't want Shizune to think Hinata was involved. I may have been angry at a lot of things and people, but I wasn't angry at Hinata. She was the only person who could, eventually, vouch for me.

So I did what Shizune thought I was doing in the first place.

I ran.

I ran out of the hospital, barging through crowds of civilians who were blissfully unaware about all the trouble I had supposedly been causing.

I ran until I came across a bridge.

Team Seven's bridge.

I sighed and slowly walked over it, catching my breath. My hand glided gently along the fence I had leant over so many years ago. The entire scene looked exactly the same.

Of course, everything had changed since the last time the four of us were on this bridge.

I stopped and leant over, looking down at what would've been my reflection. The water flowed under the bridge a little rougher than usual, but I still enjoyed watching it. Looking into the water had developed into a habit back in the genin days. Since I was usually the first one here – shortly followed by Sasuke who would never talk to me anyway – I would just stare at the water, feeling all the annoyance inside me flow away with it. Naturally, I had to stare extra hard when Naruto and eventually Kakashi arrived, but it always helped.

Today, however, the rage inside me bubbled, never once showing any signs of washing away. I growled and pushed myself off the fence. I walked over to a nearby tree, my anger coursing through my veins, and punched it.

The tree fell onto the road, a mass of dust surrounding the clearing. I pulled my glove up and turned towards another one – the tree in the road forgotten – and pulled my arm back.

"Destroying the village as well as the people now?"

I stopped abruptly and turned towards the voice. Standing there, as the dust began to fade, stood none other than Sasuke Uchiha. His hands were in his pockets and his eyes looked as guarded as ever, although there was the tiniest smirk on his face. I glared, not caring that he wouldn't know, and set my arm back by my side. I huffed and walked back to the bridge, leaning over the side once again.

"You really think I'm doing this?"

"Well, I did just watch that tree fall mysteriously by itself, so …"

"You know what I mean, Sasuke."

I heard him sigh, and he walked onto the bridge too, stopping beside me. I wasn't sure how he knew when to stop, but didn't bring it up. I wasn't in the mood.

"I don't think it's you."

If this was in the genin days, I probably would've fainted because he'd actually said three sentences, let alone that they were directed at me. However, one thing I learnt when he came back here was that he actually spoke now. Someone must've bought him a dictionary for his birthday.

I shook my head slightly, looking at his reflection in the passing water. "First Hinata, now you. I should start a club." I hadn't meant to sound bitter, but I ignored the glare I received for it anyway.

He shook his head this time, and turned around, leaning his back on the fencing and folded his arms in front of him. "Naruto and Ino were attacked by nothing. Who else can they blame it on? They're just confused."

"Aren't you?"

He gave me a look that said 'Please, I'm an Uchiha.' and I left it at that.

"I heard about the hospital incident. Shizune has told Tsunade. Everyone is looking for you, Sakura."

I looked up, and actually saw the slightest bit of concern in his eyes. I smiled at that.

Sasuke and I had grown closer, like I had with most people, over the last couple of years. Especially when we kept being put on the same ANBU squad, sometimes we would actually talk for ages. Occasionally he would actually say stuff, too. Seeing him worry about me made the twelve-year-old fangirl inside me to squeal like she's never squealed before.

Outside me, however, kept it cool.

"I know. I should stop being so clumsy. By the way, what I said yesterday, about you leaving –"

Sasuke held his hand up, stopping me from saying any more. One of the biggest rules team seven had set on Sasuke's return, was that we never spoke about his leaving. It was taboo for us, and since we never spoke about it, none of the others mentioned it either.

The hand that was held up pointed down to the river, "Don't worry. It's water under the bridge."

-Smirk-

"Right. Hilarious. Well, I'm gonna go back to my house. If I don't shower soon, the village will smell me out. But thanks for the advise, Sasuke. I'll be sure to lay low for a while."

I leant off the bridge as he did too, and he looked straight at me. The smirk never left his face as he raised his hand again.

"Then you might wanna start … by getting these twigs out of your hair."

Silently, he plucked each twig from the broken tree out of my hair, and tossed them carelessly over the edge, a faint 'splosh' sounded as they landed in the water. When he finished, he stood upright and studied me. "There. Now you look okay."

I glared, and he seemed to know, as he chuckled to himself. "Stay away for a bit, Sakura. No more jokes for a while. See ya."

He began to walk away, hands stuffed back in his pocket. How dare he mock my appearance when he couldn't even _see _me?

I smile came to my face. No more trouble. I was going to take more care of my mischief.

I silently ran over to Sasuke, watching his stoic figure as he walked. Speaking of … he walks pretty funny.

Shaking my head to prevent laughter, I backed away from him slightly, waiting for him to step off the bridge. Three … two …

One.

I charged at him, and before he could blink, he was pushed into the river.

The boy lay there, confused, before sitting up fully and glaring at the pavement where he had previously been.

"Bye, Sasuke!"

Had I not been laughing so loud, I would've heard Sasuke swear at me. Had I not run so fast, I would've seen the two-sided smile as he shook his head.

Had I not waited a few more seconds, I would've noticed footsteps heading towards Sasuke's soaked form …

**Ding! Elevators sounds annoy me. Calling them elevators annoys me too. I'm English, it's 'lift'! But 'lift' just doesn't sound right for a story … meh. **

**So, chapter five up! Gotta say, I didn't even see that last bit coming until I read it. OH NO! UNKNOWN PERSON IS BACK! Will Anonymous hurt Sasuke? Will Sasuke think it's Sakura? Will this story feature a duck? At the moment, I don't really know the answer to any of these questions. Now, depending on how un-tired I am, and how much I love you guys, I MIGHT get another chapter out before I go away. MIGHT. If not, no chapter for a good couple of weeks, so sorry in advance if that happens. **

**SilenceIsTheKey – I had originally planned to put a hell of a lot more NaruHina in this chapter, but, like I always say to you, I change my direction in the last minute, so, for now, you have to settle for that mini lift scene. BUT THERE WILL BE MORE!**

**Also, I decided that since this was a SasuSaku fic, I should probably put a little SasuSaku in it. So, yeah. That's why that last scene is there. I know Sasuke's OOC, but who really cares? He's a lot more fun to write when he isn't … him. **

**Decided to watch the episode of Shippuuden where Sakura tries to kill Sasuke. I haven't watched any for ages, haven't even read for a while, but I just wanted to see how it happened in colour … and motion. So yeah. That was emotional. Not even the storyline itself, just the bloody sad music they play. Bah.**

**I think this is my longest chapter to date! Hooray! They're all around the same length, but this is on nine pages! To be fair, that's probably just the author's note though … **

**I felt sorry for Sakura. I felt sorry for Naruto. I felt sorry for Ino. Now I also feel sorry for Shikamaru. I'm trying to feature all the main characters, but trying to find stories with them is tough xD **

**Hinata can see Sakura! Kind of! I mean, I researched the Byakugan, and I figured it's to see chakra and stuff that is invisible to the naked eye so … I made Hinata sort of see her. So can Neji, but he isn't it yet, so he doesn't matter. **

**I swear I will stop this author's note soon, I just wanna know … does any one watch Glee? I keep listening to 'Cough Syrup' on YouTube … now THAT is emotional :'(**

**Okies, I'm gone. Over and out!**

**-x-Emma-x-**


	6. Chapter the Sixth

**So, I was reading a fic, that was pretty good, and on chapter six they wrote an author's note about how 45 reviews wasn't enough for the motivation. So I looked at my five chapters with 14 reviews, and thought 'I glad I've stopped caring.' Yeah, they just really annoyed me. **

**I also watched the Simpsons last night, and it's an episode I actually haven't seen. Shock horror, much?**

**Shout outs to _SilenceIsTheKey_, _WingedMercury_ and newcomer _kaykaycookie8D_, you are all awesome! Thank you for liking this story as much as you do! :)**

**Disclaimer: No ownage of Naruto is by me. Whether that makes sense or not, you all know what I mean.**

**Enjoy!**

_I charged at him, and before he could blink, he was pushed into the river. _

_The boy lay there, confused, before sitting up fully and glaring at the pavement where he had previously been._

"_Bye, Sasuke!"_

_Had I not been laughing so loud, I would've heard Sasuke swear at me. Had I not run so fast, I would've seen the two-sided smile as he shook his head. _

_Had I not waited a few more seconds, I would've noticed footsteps heading towards Sasuke's soaked form … _

**Inconspicuous**

**Chapter Six**

I felt instantly better after my talk with Sasuke. There was just something about him actually talking back that made me happy.

I was still in love with him. I always knew I was, but from the day he left, I had tried to convince myself otherwise. Then he returned, and just because I didn't act like the same love-sick puppy I was when I was twelve on the outside, didn't mean I wasn't acting the same on the inside. It was a couple of months ago when I decided to drop my façade, and stop lying to myself. It made life a lot easier to handle.

I was walking through the village, making sure not to attract any attention. Since I was feeling better, I had originally decided to visit Tsunade. Explain the whole thing was a simple misunderstanding, hug, and make up. But then I snapped back to reality and realised that Tsunade wasn't a patient person at the best of times, and I knew it would take a lot of convincing to tell her that I was innocent. Then, there would need to be proof that I couldn't provide, and I'd end up getting angry and saying/doing something I shouldn't, and everything would be worse.

So instead, I opted to heading back to my apartment, having that long-overdue shower, and maybe a little nap as well. It seemed like forever since I'd slept.

Avoiding the busier streets, it took me a little longer that I would've liked to reach the familiar door of my home. Still, I was home now, and that was the most important thing.

I unlocked the door, and stepped inside. The whole time I'd been invisible, I hadn't once come back to my house. I had been having way too much fun to just sit at home and do nothing. But due to the ANBU mission I was on before the invisibility, it meant I hadn't been to my house for a very long time. I didn't realise how much I'd missed it.

After a refreshing shower, I sunk onto my bed, not bothering to pull the cover over me, and fell asleep almost straight away.

* * *

><p><strong>Unknown P.O.V<strong>

I was wandering down the street, pretty satisfied with myself. I had thoroughly humiliated the Uchiha, and I was now left wondering what to do next.

Listening to Sakura's conversation with Sasuke, she was headed home, so this could go either way. I _could _continue to wreak havoc and continue my façade as Sakura, but she actually has an alibi this time. Or, I could rest for a while, wait for Sakura to come and play, then carry on with my mission, so to speak.

I sighed. I was having so much fun posing as the pink-haired freak, but I supposed all good things had to come to an end eventually. To be honest, I wasn't even sure why I was doing all of this. But I shrugged. I really didn't care, either.

My feet had taken me to the Hokage tower, though I wasn't sure why. It was true, I hadn't done anything to the Hokage yet, but I had to wait for the right moment. I needed to wait until she would be absolutely certain that it was Sakura causing this. If I made one wrong move, it could blow the whole thing wide open. I couldn't have that.

I turned away from the tower, leaving that excitement for another time, and began another stroll, letting my feet take me wherever.

I began to get consumed in my thoughts again, and almost didn't notice a petite girl walking directly towards me, an inch from bounding head first into an invisible object.

I sidestepped quickly, but as the girl walk past, she seemed to have felt something, as she looked long and hard in my direction. She finally blinked and shook her head, continuing her walk, her purple-y locks waving behind her as she nearly struggled to carry all of the books she held.

But it wasn't the struggle that made me follow her; nor was it the long purple hair atop her head.

It was her eyes.

Anyone, ninja or not, knows who those pearly orbs belonged to.

A Hyuuga.

If this girl was a Hyuuga, that meant only one thing. She had the Byakugan.

I hadn't come across someone who possessed the trait during my invisibility, but I knew all about them. Byakugan users had incredible sight, and when it was activated, an almost 360 degree vision. But more importantly, they had the ability to see through solid objects. They were also notorious for their chakra sensing.

Which meant there was a possibility that she, unlike every other person in this damn village, could see me.

Which I couldn't allow to happen.

She seemed to sense me following her, as she began to walk faster, tripping along the way. I wasn't sure where she was headed, but I continued to follow. This girl was a threat to my mission, and therefore had to be eliminated.

Along the way I had a think to myself. I wasn't overly sure of the layout of Konoha, nor was I fully aware of every ninja inhabiting it. But if there was one Byakugan user in the area, then there must be more. If I happened to cross paths with any more of them, I might not be so lucky. I was just thankful that this female was so quiet and had her hands full (not that I thought she could beat me in a fight, anyway.) that I had managed to get away with it.

Finally making a mistake, she turned into a secluded alleyway between two streets that didn't seem very used. Was this girl really a ninja? A holder of the Byakugan, at that?

Still, it didn't stop the smirk forming on my lips. Attacking people was always fun, at least the girl made the effort to become an easy target.

I had already failed in my aims to kill two idiot ninjas. I wasn't about to lose another one.

* * *

><p><strong>Sakura P.O.V<strong>

I slowly opened my eyes as sunlight blinded me through the curtains. I never liked curtains. After buying many different ones, I discovered that the ones that covered my window perfectly were too see-through (why make see-through curtains? WHY?) and the ones that were made the room dark enough were too short.

Why am I ranting about curtains? Invisibility has turned me into such a weirdo.

Well … more so.

Still, it was a pretty nice nap, and I slowly sat up, stretching every muscle in my body. After hearing a couple pop, I was pretty satisfied.

I got up, and decided to venture out again. I'd never noticed how boring my little apartment could be. I still loved it with all my heart, but when you have the potential to do anything you want … not a lot of that stuff involved staying in your house all alone.

The street I live on never got very busy, which I was thankful for. It always made my naps peaceful (save the impending doom of the sunshine), and I happily strolled along, until I felt a wave of chakra that I instantly recognised, and instantly realised that they were in trouble.

I ran in the direction of an alley that links my street and the one closer to the marketplace. It was still a pretty quiet street, but I had often taken this alleyway as a short cut. I'm lazy, so sue me.

As I approached, I saw the person who was in danger. High up against the wall, an invisible noose around her neck, was Hinata. My eyes widened as I watched the scene in front of me. Hinata was choking, clawing at the invisible noose as though it would deter the thing. Medical books were sprawled across the dirty alley floor, some pages ripped and spines broken.

After hearing a whimper from one of my closest friends – and the only person who could see me at all – I instantly ran towards the thing that was holding her up, and upon contact, realised it was definitely another person.

The other person and I fell to the ground, and I wasn't even paying attention to Hinata any more. This was the person that had been framing me? This person had attacked Naruto, and nearly killed Ino and now Hinata? This person was going to pay.

I began to punch. I didn't know where I was punching, all I knew was that I was making contact somehow. Since my chakra still wasn't entirely one hundred percent, I opted for hitting as hard as I could, as much as I could.

How could someone do things like that the people I cared about? More to the point, why was this other person invisible too? Was it the person that was responsible for my condition? Was it just a random coincidence? Or was there an 'Invisible People Convention' that I wasn't invited to?

The other person seemed to make no intention of stopping me, so I carried on until I heard a small cough behind me. I turned my head towards the sound, my medic instincts acting on reflex, and realised my mistake as I heard the person laugh underneath me. I turned back to face them – or the floor – as they coughed slightly, before somehow throwing me off with a mighty strength I was barely capable of myself. I collided with the wall of the alley, hearing it crumble slightly around me. I slumped to the floor, ashamed at myself for letting my guard down.

I lay on the ground for a minute, letting the searing pain in my back subside slightly before allowing myself to sit up and lean against the wall, my head resting against it, my breathing ragged.

"S-Sakura-chan?"

I looked towards Hinata and studied her. There were no signs of being attacked, only the small bruise forming around her throat from where the asshole – though they chuckled, she was still unsure of the gender – had their hand around it. I mustered up my energy and crawled towards Hinata, who had slumped to the floor the minute the other person's hand was released from her neck, and was lying back in the same position that I was prior.

I placed my hands gently on Hinata's neck, and watched the green glow emit. I briefly wondered if Hinata could see the light, but since she could see me more than any other person at the moment anyway, I figured she probably could.

After a couple of minutes, I finished up the best I could with the chakra I had left (punching Anonymous strangely took a lot out of me) and began picking up the discarded books.

"I've healed it enough for you to not choke, but I'm afraid the bruise might be there for a while. My chakra supply is pretty limited in invisible form. I swear, if that person goes near one more person … their spine will be as broken as this one!"

I threw a broken book to the ground, not doing it any favours as a couple of pages flew out. I paid no attention to Hinata's widened eyes at my outburst – she knew I was telling the truth. None of her friends deserved to be attacked, and no one should be cowardly enough to do what they wanted just because they were invisible.

I backtracked slowly.

What. A. Hypocrite.

My mood had suck as low as the Titanic as realisation rushed through me. I looked up to see Hinata collecting the rest of the books, along with the one that I had previously abused. She took the other three books from me, smiling nervously. I wasn't sure why she was so nervous. I had just saved her life.

"T-Thank you, Sakura-chan. The other person had been following me for a while, I hoped that if I went down this alley, you'd find us … I didn't want to seem weak, it's just … hard to fight an invisible enemy …"

"You did the right thing, Hinata. Can I have that walk with you now?"

Hinata nodded and turned around, leaving the alleyway, and I followed after, my hands still clenched from that last fight. If you could call it a fight.

I'd heard the person scamper away the moment my back connected with the wall. It still hurt to walk, but I wasn't going to complain. I'd just wait for my chakra to come back and heal it then.

"Sakura … d-do you know who that other person w-was?"

The seriousness of Hinata's voice was increased by the lack of the suffix. I shook my head, before voicing my 'no'. This was just turning even weirder.

Hinata's lips became a thin line as she thought to herself. "You need to talk to Tsunade-sama. You need to let her know that you're not the one doing this. Whoever this other person is, they're out to get you. This person has tried to k-kill three of your f-friends already. I don't think it's a coincidence. So far, we've all been lucky, but who's to say it won't h-happen again?"

I blinked at the length of the speech she just gave me. Hearing a verse from Hinata was a rarity; she was so known for her short sentences and constant stutter. But hearing all of that coming from the Hyuuga's mouth made me proud to be friends with her.

"HEY HINATA-CHAN!"

Knowing who it was before I even looked, I wasn't surprised to see Hinata go beet red as the blonde-haired boy gave her a massive bear hug. The books she was carrying were squeezed tightly to her chest, and, particularly after nearly being strangled to death, she seemed to have a little trouble breathing.

I was about to intervene, until I realised that Naruto and I weren't on the best of terms right now. He suspected me of nearly killing him and Ino (I could assume, since everyone else already did), and if he heard me hanging around with the heiress, it wouldn't do me any favours.

So, I waited for Hinata to squeak loudly enough for Naruto to let her go. The confident and logical chatterbox she had been moments before had disappeared and replaced with her usual 'Naruto Look', which consisted of the stutter, red cheeks, looking down, and playing with her fingers. I shook my head fondly.

"N-Naruto-kun! W-What are you doing here?"

Naruto laughed and threw his hands behind his head. "Nothing much. I was thinking about going to Ichiraku's, but then I saw you carrying all these books by yourself, and figured you might need a hand."

Hinata froze as Naruto took four of the books from her pile and placed them comfortably in his own arms, "Geez … no offence, but you should really think about buying new books. These ones are pretty worn out …"

Hinata blinked back to reality and smiled. "Ano … T-thank you, Naruto-kun. They were pretty heavy …"

"Don't mention it! It's what friends are … hey, Hina-chan … what's that on your neck?"

Hinata's eyes widened in unison with mine as Naruto's ones narrowed to get a better look. In all her kerfuffle with Naruto's arrival and taking some of the books from her, she had forgotten to hide the bruise that was ever darkening on her pale skin. Naruto shuffled the books around to place them under one arm, and tentatively reached out with the other to see the bruise better.

"N-Nothing, Naruto-kun! I, umm … I f-fell, a-and bruised myself … i-it's nothing, r-really."

As stupid as the blonde was, he didn't seem to buy that answer at all. His eyebrows furrowed as he analysed the panic in Hinata's eyes, the broken books in his hands, and the bruise on her neck. Everything seemed to click into place as his eyes filled with anger.

"You were attacked, weren't you ..?"

Hinata shook her head too quickly, only making his suspicions more accurate.

"It was Sakura, wasn't it. Sakura did this to you, just like she attacked me and Ino."

Hinata's eyes widened further than I thought possible as she absent-mindedly fingered the bruise. "N-No, Naruto-kun! I-It wasn't –"

"Hinata, one of my favourite things about you is that you always see the good in everyone. But Sakura has changed. She isn't the same Sakura that we used to know."

Hinata seemed to have trouble staying alive after Naruto proclaimed 'one of his favourite things' about her. But she fought back and took a deep breath.

"N-Naruto-kun, you don't unders-stand! S-Sakura –"

"I knew it! She has gone too far this time. Something needs to be done."

With that, Naruto pivoted on his heel and headed in a direction that I was all too familiar with. The Hokage Tower.

"N-Naruto-kun, wait!"

If Naruto heard Hinata's stutter, then he didn't show it as he continued to walk, fists clenched, to Tsunade.

I sighed and placed my head in my hands. This was not working how I planned at all. I needed to get to the Hokage Tower and explain everything, before Naruto jumped in with his dumbass conclusions.

"S-Sakura-chan … I'm s-sorry …"

I looked up at Hinata, who was looking straight back at me with her apology evident in her eyes. I shook my head and gave a small chuckle. "It's not your fault, Hinata. I'm actually kinda getting used to the constant hate from everyone. I'm gonna go to Tsunade, will you be alright getting back to the hospital?"

Hinata nodded confidently, "Yes. In any case, if that person tries something again, I'll be in busier streets, and you actually have an alibi f-from me if anyone thought otherwise."

I smiled, glad to see confident Hinata back, and jogged in the same direction as Naruto. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>Sasuke P.O.V<strong>

My threatening aura seemed to clear my path as I stormed down the streets towards the Hokage Tower. Not even fangirls were stupid enough to get in my way. Why did this shit always happen to me?

-Flashback-

_I blinked in order to get my surroundings. I was in the river, after being pushed by the oh-so-dead Sakura. I watched her laugh as her footsteps disappeared, and continued to sit in the river. I swore loudly, but the pinkette didn't hear me. _

_Despite all that, I couldn't help the small smile that appeared on my face. That girl was gonna pay._

_I started to stand up slowly, not bothering to make sure I wouldn't slip on rocks. I'm an Uchiha, rocks are no match for me._

_However, the second before I got my bearings, something shoved me back down forcefully, and my head collided with a particularly large rock. I coughed as I began to sit up, only to feel someone behind me,but before I could turn around, they had hit my nerves, and blackness overcame me._

…

_I hazily woke up a while later to find that I was out of the river and in a clearing. A strange sensation touched my cheek, and I realised it was that which made me wake up in the first place. I squinted my eyes as I looked towards to source, and almost wished I hadn't._

_Standing before me, licking my face, was that damn dog Akamaru. He barked when he saw me look at him, and I heard a laugh from behind the creature. I propped myself up on my elbows and I saw Kiba doubled over, crying with laughter. I didn't know what he thought was so hilarious, but I wasn't going to find out. _

_I stood up, already in a bad mood due to being rendered unconscious so easily, and head hitting against that rock, giving me an all powerful migraine, when I felt a cool breeze on my legs. _

_When I was wearing trousers. _

_So, I looked down, and nearly fainted from pure horror. _

_Somehow, whoever knocked me out, thought it would be funny to change my outfit from my t-shirt and trousers, to a frilly._

_Pink._

_Dress._

_I hate my life. _

_I glared at the outfit, willing my eyes to burn holes through it, before realising that burning holes through it might not be such a good idea considering that the Inuzuka could barely hold himself together as it was._

_Instead, I realised my glare onto him, and he immediately straightened up and attempted to stop laughing. "So, umm … you got a new lifestyle or what?"_

_A growl erupted from my lips that would've put Akamaru to shame, and stalked off, searching for my clothes. Upon finding none, I knew that there was only one place I had to go. _

-End Flashback-

So, here I was. In a pink frilly dress, walking down one of the busiest streets in Konoha, on my way to Tsunade.

I know what you're thinking. Why not go home and change first?

The answer was obvious. Tsunade needed to see what was happening. She had seen Naruto and Ino lying in their hospital beds, but she would never believe that this would've happened to me if I had kept any dignity that I once had.

I tried to think with a clear head, while keeping my 'I Will Kill You' look on my face at all times.

It was someone invisible. That much was obvious. Which instantly lead to one person – Sakura. However, I knew for a fact that Sakura would never go this far with a joke. Besides, she was heading back to her house when she shoved me in the river, so I have proof that it wasn't her.

But then, who was it?

As I neared the tower, I let all thoughts centre on her. Sakura.

We had become a lot closer since I returned to the village, and I was happy about that. I had always felt something about Sakura since the night I left, after she confessed that she loved me. I had tried to ignore it, but for the whole time in Orochimaru's hideout, my thoughts always ended up drifting back to her. What she was doing, where she was going, who she was seeing. It made me angry most of the time, and tried even harder to sever my bonds with Konoha, but it just never worked.

I walked up the stairs and gave a curt nod to Shizune, who looked just as surprised as I had upon the sight of me wearing … this. I walked through the halls, and it wasn't long before I heard a loud voice coming from the office. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.

"I'm telling you, Baa-chan! There were bruises on Hinata's neck! She was being strangled, and it was Sakura that did it! We have to find her and put a stop to it!"

I shook my head slightly. Of course Naruto would jump to that conclusion. I decided to interrupt his meeting with Tsunade as I opened the door fully.

Since Naruto had his back to the door, Tsunade saw me first. Her eyebrows raised as she looked me up and down, taking in my appearance. A ghost of a smile played on her lips as she tried to contain herself.

Naruto was still babbling on and didn't seem to notice the door or Tsunade's expression. It was only when I slammed the door shut that he stopped talking.

"Tsunade-sama, we need to talk."

"Oh, Sasuke, it's you! Great, we need to talk about … hey …"

I glared at Naruto. "Don't even …"

"SASUKE'S A TRANSVESTITE! When the hell did this happen!"

On that charming greeting, Naruto fell to the floor in fits. I kicked him roughly, but it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest as he rolled around.

"Tsunade-sama, I was knocked unconscious and this happened to me. But it wasn't Sakura."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "Oh? Who was it, then?"

"I … I don't know. But I had just seen Sakura, and she was on her way to her house. She was long gone before I was attacked. There is someone else invisible in this village."

Tsunade sighed and placed her elbows on the desk, propping her head on her hands. "I understand what you're saying, Sasuke, but I can't help with that. Sakura is the only person that we know of who is … invisible. I'll need solid proof of another person before I can go around pointing fingers."

"Pointing fingers? Don't you realise that that's _exactly_ what you're doing with Sakura? With all due respect, just because you have no one else to blame, doesn't give you the right to blame her."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and I knew I shouldn't have spoken to her like that. But I couldn't help it.

"Why should I believe you, Sasuke?"

* * *

><p><strong>Sakura P.O.V<strong>

"Why should I believe you, Sasuke?"

I leant against the door quietly, anticipating Sasuke's answer.

"Because I believe her."

A smile crept up my face. I hadn't heard the beginning of this conversation, but Sasuke Uchiha had just said he believes me. I think my inner fangirl has actually died with excitement.

I took a deep breath. I had to remain cool and composed. I needed to go in there, and talk to them all.

Calming myself down, I opened the door loud enough to know someone else was entering, but quiet enough not to ruin the tense atmosphere.

The first thing I saw was Naruto on the ground, rolling around like a bug on its back. I raised an eyebrow before reminding myself to remain cool and composed. This was serious business; Naruto was just being Naruto.

But as I looked at Sasuke, all reminders of cool and composed flew out of the window. I doubled over, giggling hysterically at Sasuke's … interesting attire.

I hadn't noticed him look back at Tsunade, as if to say 'would someone who did this to me react like that?' because my eyes were closed to prevent the tears that would fall.

"Oh, Sasuke … remind me to thank the person who did that to you …"

I trailed off, remembering that the person that did that to him (though it was _brilliant_), had also attempted to kill three of my friends. That person had to pay, no matter what.

* * *

><p><strong>Hinata P.O.V<strong>

_'One of my favourite things about you …'_

_'One of my favourite things …'_

_'One of …'_

Naruto-kun has more than one favourite thing about me? Wow … just wow.

He had dropped the books he was holding as he went to see Tsunade-sama, so I picked them all up again, careful not to let anything else happen to the inanimate objects that had been caused so much pain already. I balanced them as I thought about what had previously happened.

A person was following me. I had seen their chakra and instantly knew it wasn't Sakura-chan. The chakra was … angry, and had all traces of evil inside it. Sakura's chakra, when she found me, was light, and bubbly, and full of energy, just like Sakura-chan herself.

But what was worrying me the most was what happened next.

As she began to beat up the anonymous person, something changed within her, and for those couple of minutes …

I couldn't tell the people apart.

* * *

><p><strong>DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN! This is turning CRAZY! That was also the first time I've ever written in Hinata's P.O.V, so please let me knew how that went. NaruHina! Woo! Slight SasuSaku! Woo!<strong>

**I promise this authors note won't be as long, because I am actually leaving for work in five minutes, so gotta hurry xD**

**Hope you enjoyed it! **

**Over and out!**

**-x-Emma-x-**


	7. Chapter the Seventh

**It's been so long since I updated this! That sounds so weird. This being a long time … huh.**

**Thank you, _PureElegance_, _SilenceIsTheKey_, _WingedMercury_, _KayKayCookie8D_ and _LLuNarEcLiPsE _for being amazing people! Also, thank you _SilenceIsTheKey_ and _WingedMercury_ for your ideas, they helped this chapter get written. :D Does that make sense? I dunno.**

**Also, doing another thing for the first time in this chapter. I'm writing in Tsunade's POV. Let me know how it goes, because … well, I dunno haha.**

**Disclaimer: You've been hit by, you've been struck by … Someone who doesn't own Naruto. Or Smooth Criminal. Damn.**

**Enjoy!**

_A person was following me. I had seen their chakra and instantly knew it wasn't Sakura-chan. The chakra was … angry, and had all traces of evil inside it. Sakura's chakra, when she found me, was light, and bubbly, and full of energy, just like Sakura-chan herself. _

_But what was worrying me the most was what happened next._

_As she began to beat up the anonymous person, something changed within her, and for those couple of minutes … _

_I couldn't tell the people apart._

**Inconspicuous**

**Chapter Seven**

**Tsunade's POV**

I watched the amusing scene before me, willing myself to not crack a smile. It may have looked a little out of character for me, but I just couldn't bring myself to act unprofessional at a time like this.

Sakura's laughter echoed around the room, matching Naruto's pitch in just a couple of seconds. Even Sasuke had a very small smirk on his face, and I'm sure it would've been larger if he wasn't so pissed off with the scenario.

I sat perfectly still, waiting for the two "highly skilled" ninja to stop their giggles. Whether Sakura turned to face me, or whether she was just smarter, the sound from her lips soon died out, and Naruto followed suite about five minutes after.

I observed Naruto's posture as he stood up again slowly, as well as Sasuke's demeanour. Both seemed to mature instantly, and I could only assume that Sakura was the same.

"Hello, Sakura. Been a while."

I had surprised myself with the bitterness in that sentence, but chose not to show it. I adored my student. I always would. But there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that told me that it wasn't just her invisibility that stopped me from looking her in the eye.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

Silence filled the air. I pondered what exactly to say to the trio, with one invisible, one downright irritating and one in attire that didn't suit him. I can safely say I've never had to deal with this before.

It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't actually called any of the teens to my office. Sasuke had made his case very clear (although, it was very hard to listen to him when he was wearing _that_.), but neither Naruto or Sakura had actually told me what they intended to do when they had barged into my office, before they were interrupted by … a particular sight.

"Can I help any of you?"

Naruto blinked several times, before seemingly remembering what he came in for. He threw a glare towards Sakura's direction and placed his hands heavily on my desk as if he was appearing in court.

"I'm here to file another complaint against _that one -_" He pointed at Sakura "- since she decided that it was okay to attack Hinata! HINATA!"

Both Sasuke and I looked at the blonde with raised eyebrows. Anyone hurting Hinata was a dangerous matter. Naruto and Neji had often said that it should be a criminal offence, but I always rolled my eyes at them.

If I had my way, it would be a criminal offence to sell Sake to anyone who wasn't me.

But according to the Elders, my opinion doesn't really matter.

Sigh.

Sakura's footsteps came forward at that point, and I assumed she put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, as he began to shake it violently.

"Tsunade-sama, that's what I came here to talk to you about. I didn't attack Hinata. I saved her life!"

Naruto scoffed, "Right. That's why you strangled her and attacked her books."

"Okay, first, those books are from the hospital. They've been there a while. Also, she dropped them when some other invisible person decided to attack her! I found her, and saved her life, dammit!"

My eyes darted back and forth between the two and I could tell an argument was about to start. If I had learned anything, it was that getting into a heated argument with either of them resulted in a pounding headache, and, since I was partially tipsy at the moment, I didn't think I could bare the two of them going at it.

Why am I Hokage again?

"ENOUGH!"

Naruto and Sakura stopped mid-sentence, and Naruto's head whipped around to face mine. I love having authority.

"Sakura … what do you mean by 'other invisible person'?"

"I mean, there's someone else doing this stuff. Someone else that's invisible. I don't know how, or why, but they're doing it. I caught them holding Hinata against the wall, I ran into them and started beating them up, but I was more concerned about Hinata. I don't hurt my friends."

Though she was telling me this information, I could hear the glare in Naruto's direction at the end. I considered what Sakura was telling me. Was it possible for another person to be invisible? There had only been one case that I'd found, it seemed unlikely that there were now two people in that predicament. On the other hand, there was still a part of me that was convinced that Sakura never would've intentionally done so much damage to the people she loved. She also didn't own the dress that Sasuke was wearing.

I need more Sake.

I massaged my forehead with my fingers and sighed deeply. The drawer on my desk containing Sake began screaming at me.

"I'll look into it. In the meantime, I want you to stay with either Naruto or Sasuke, just so I can be sure it's not you doing this stuff. Now, I think you three have some apologies to give out."

Naruto sighed and turned to face Sakura, "Fine. I'm s-"

"No, no. Away from my office. Go on now, you haven't got all day."

I watched the boys pivot (Sasuke's dress swirling around him) and they all headed out of the office.

Finally.

* * *

><p><strong>Normal P.O.V<strong>

"LET'S HAVE RAMEN!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Who says I've forgiven you? You basically said I was a homicidal maniac. That's not something I can just brush off, you know."

Naruto pouted and threw his hands in the air, "Sakura-chan! I'm SORRY, okay? I was just annoyed, and you were the easiest person to blame! Don't hurt me!"

Sakura poked Naruto's cheek, and any passer by simply would've seen a dimple forming before disappearing just as quickly.

"It's … okay, I guess. I know why you did it, I just wished you didn't. So, ramen?"

"No."

In the midst of friendship making, Naruto and Sakura had forgotten Sasuke's presence the two blinked in his direction, noting his ferocious glare and his hands on his hips.

Naruto pondered on how the Uchiha heir actually looked like Sakura in that moment, but chose to keep that comment to himself, or he'd be killed by both of them.

Sasuke glared the most powerful glare he could muster, and in a matter of seconds, the two were on the floor once more, laughing so hard he thought (hoped) they would explode. He didn't find this situation particularly hilarious. But since his two _friends_ were this annoying about it, he didn't dare think about how the rest of the village would react. He'd already had enough just getting to the Hokage Tower. So, naturally, he decided to stay within the building until he was given a new set of clothes.

"Naruto, you're gonna get me some new clothes."

The blonde was still in hysterics on the floor, but managed to nod anyway, before struggling to stand up and wipe the tears from his eyes, "Okay … okay … fine. Sakura, stay here with Sassy-chan, I'll be back soon."

Naruto ran before Sasuke was able to murder him, and silence ensued between the two remaining Team 7 comrades.

Sakura sighed and began pacing slowly. Sasuke watched the light footsteps imprint on the carpet and he ran a hand through his hair. He and Sakura were rarely left alone together, and when they were, it was always a little awkward for him.

He deserved it, of course. He _had_ left the girl years ago. She told him once she had forgiven him, since he was doing everything he could (in the most Uchiha-like way possible) to make it up to them. He believed her, but he wasn't sure if he'd forgiven himself. He didn't regret leaving – far from it, he managed to get everything done he aimed for – but he wished he'd been more civil about it.

As in, not yelling at his pink-haired friend then knocking her out and leaving her on a bench.

So, while she seemed fine being around him, he was never really sure how to act. Still, it seemed easier when she couldn't be seen.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair once more and leaned against the wall, sliding down it until his butt touched the floor, propping his elbows on his knees. He could still hear Sakura pacing, and the noise was starting to get irritating.

He heard Sakura giggle to herself, before she sat on the floor beside him. Sasuke briefly wondered if he should break the silence, but as he turned to face Sakura, her mouth opened before his.

"Smiley faces? Doesn't really suit you, Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned, confused for a moment, before his eyes widened and he turned away from Sakura. He straightened his legs out on the floor, after he momentarily forgot the clothing he was in. his pink-haired comrade giggled a little more, and he couldn't help but revel in the sound. Hearing her laughter always made him feel happier inside lately. He wasn't sure why, and didn't particularly like it, but he couldn't be bothered to fight it off, so he simply ignored it whenever it popped up. Stupid brain.

"We're gonna find the person that did this, you know. I won't let them get away with what they've done."

Sasuke smirked. Sakura watched his face carefully, thankful that he couldn't see the blush forming on her cheeks. She never would've thought that even in a dress he could still look attractive. But then, he wasn't an Uchiha for nothing.

"It would be easier if we had anything to go on."

Sakura jumped slightly at the sound of Sasuke's voice. His head was resting on the wall behind him, and his eyes were closed. Sakura sighed and followed suite, "I know. Even when I was attacking them, I couldn't tell what gender they were or anything. All we know is that there's some random person who's as invisible as me out there in Konoha."

Silence took over once more and the two sat peacefully. They were both thinking about the anonymous person and what they were capable of.

"Did they hurt you?"

Sakura opened her eyes and looked at Sasuke, who's head had turned in her direction. She thought back to her fight with Anonymous, trying to remember if they had hit her back at all. She stretched lightly and winced as her back ached, and the memory came flooding back to her.

"Well, they didn't put up a fight. In fact, they let me hit them. It was only when I lost focus for a second … they threw me off with massive strength and my back collided with the wall. It aches a bit, but it's no biggie."

Sakura noticed Sasuke's fists clench. _'Is he … angry?'_ "Look, Sasuke-kun, I'm alright, Really. The wall I crashed into might not be, but I'm good."

Sasuke imagined whereabouts her face was, and smirked at her answer. "I'm Sasuke-_kun_, now, am I?"

Sakura's blush intensified and her eyes widened. Sasuke seemed to guess her reaction and chuckled. He may not have shown it, but he almost wanted to smile at the idea being called 'Sasuke-kun' again. For the first time since the invisibility situation started, he actually wished he could see Sakura's face.

The pair seemed to be lost in the moment, their breaths being the only sound in the small hallway. Despite being invisible, Sakura felt like Sasuke was watching her intensively, and she was not about to let anything get in the way.

"I'm back!"

Sasuke visibly scowled at the blonde idiot, trying to pretend that the orange garments hanging over his arm were _not_ meant for him. Uchihas did not do bright colours, and for a split second, he actually considered staying in the dress.

This was gonna be a long day …

**I don't like this chapter at all. Halfway through Tsunade's point of view was when I had hit writers block, but I have spent the last two days obsessed with trying to finish this chapter, because now this chapter's out of the way, hopefully I won't get such crappy writers block on the others. Here's to me!**

**I'd like to seriously thank _WingedMercury _again for just being super awesome, and to _KayKayCookie8D_, because she's just amazing and keeps making me blush ^_^ sorry this isn't really a very good chapter. Also, I apologize for it being so much shorter than the others too. It's just a sucky chapter in every way really xD**

**I also realised that I've barely had any SasuSaku moments in this story, and coming to that realisation, I also realised that it's hard to do SasuSaku moments when half of the couple is invisible … so it will be limited for a while, I'm afraid. But at least it'll give Sasuke a lot of time to think about how he feels … ;D**

**Anyhoo, I hope you somewhat enjoyed this sorry excuse for a chapter. I promise the next one will be up sooner.**

**Over and out!**

**-x-Emma-x-**


	8. Chapter The Eighth

**Sup my wonderful people! I so didn't realise it had been six months since I last updated this … my bad … **

**I'd like to thank **_**Raikiri80**_**, **_**kaykaycookie8D**_**, **_**wingedmercury**_**, **_**SilenceIsTheKey **_**and**_**Hika-BOOO the Awesome**_**for their reviews, they all made me smile :)**

**It seemed quite a few people enjoyed the idea of Sasuke in a dress. Which, I honestly wasn't expecting, coz at first I didn't really like it. I thought it was too stupid (and still do), but hey. I won't complain :D**

**Anyway, I'm just gonna shut up and get on with the story :)**

**Disclaimer: I wonder what it would take for Kishi to give me Naruto … since I don't know, Naruto doesn't belong to me.**

**Enjoy!**

_The pair seemed to be lost in the moment, their breaths being the only sound in the small hallway. Despite being invisible, Sakura felt like Sasuke was watching her intensively, and she was not about to let anything get in the way._

_"I'm back!"_

_Sasuke visibly scowled at the blonde idiot, trying to pretend that the orange garments hanging over his arm were not meant for him. Uchihas did not do bright colours, and for a split second, he actually considered staying in the dress._

_This was gonna be a long day …_

**Inconspicuous**

**Chapter Eight**

The area was silent. The sun barely shone through the canopy of trees, and one could easily mistake the time of day for night, despite it being noon. Without warning, a few twigs snapped beneath an invisible weight.

A hooded figure stood beside an aging tree, their face dipped so no one could distinguish the person beneath the cloak.

"You have been failing."

A fallen leaf crackled as the invisible weight stopped above it, and the hooded figure looked up calmly to see nothing before him.

"I don't believe 'fail' is the right word here."

"Every attempt to destroy the girl's reputation has been unsuccessful. Explain how that's not failure."

"I have only just begun. Simply hospitalising her friends is nothing compared to the hell that will break loose."

The hooded person chuckled darkly, "She is still loved by many. You will need to step up."

"I was doing fine until that Hyuuga girl popped up. She knows that it's not Sakura doing those things. That is not my fault."

"You're telling me the Hyuuga is the problem. I'm telling you to find a solution."

There was silence as the wind blew around, the atmosphere becoming a lot more tense than just a few minutes ago.

"You know the plan. I don't care how you succeed, just do it. Whatever it takes."

The cloaked person heard a deep sigh, though to anyone else it could easily be mistaken as a light breeze.

"I know. Whatever it takes."

* * *

><p>"… next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital bed trying to convince Shizune I'm not crazy. It's crazy!"<p>

Sakura nodded, knowing no one would see it, and pursed her lips together. She had finally been told the whole story about the incident between Naruto and the other invisible person, and, though she found most of it hilarious to picture, was concerned about whoever was doing this, and why. Had she first heard about this before the other attacks, she might've assumed it was another person trying to rid Konoha of one of their strongest ninjas. It was a different tactic than usual, but it had rendered him unconscious, so it was a possibility.

But Ino and Hinata, while both powerful ninjas too, had no connection to the Akatsuki or any other village potentially trying to ruin Konoha, so the attacks upon them made no sense.

Unless it was something personal.

Sakura had spent most of the last few years learning to disregard her feelings and emotions in order to become a better ninja, but the thought of someone wreaking havoc on those closest to her just to spite her made her blood boil. She glared at the ground as the trio walked to Ichiraku's, trying to calm herself down, and failing miserably.

A person suddenly appeared in front of her, and if it wasn't for her ninja reflexes, she would've walked straight into them. Sakura abuptly stopped, along with Naruto and Sasuke, as Izumo looked at the three of them, halting slightly at the sight of Sasuke in an orange tracksuit, before remembering why he had appeared in the first place.

"Naruto-san, Sasuke-san. The two -" Sakura coughed loudly to make her appearance known - "Err … the _three_ of you, then, need to report to the hospital."

"What happened? Is Hinata-chan alright?"

Sakura fought back the smile that tried to appear on her face at the sight of the panicked Naruto. How he had not confessed to Hinata about his feelings yet, she'd never know.

"Hinata-san is fine. Ino-san has awakened from her coma. Tsunade wants to talk to her, and she thought best to let you know, too."

Sakura's eyes widened. Ino was awake? She had already started running in the direction of the hospital before Naruto and Sasuke had time to blink, and reached the automatic doors of the entrance in no time. Remembering that Ino was situated in ward 14, the pinkette headed straight for the stairs, not bothering to waste her time with the elevator.

The door to Ino's ward flung open, and, as Tsunade saw nothing standing in the doorway, knew that Sakura had arrived. Moments later, Naruto and Sasuke joined her, and Izumo nodded to the blonde before disappearing elsewhere.

"Thank you for coming. I wanted to talk to Ino about what happened, and I thought Sakura might like to hear it to. Maybe she can wrap her head around all of this."

Ino, still slightly dazed from being comatose, looked around the room, "S-Sakura's not here …"

Sakura sighed. She had to stop assuming that everyone knew about her state. Ino had been in the hospital since the news started to spread, so of course she wouldn't know.

"Sakura has been turned invisible. We were hoping maybe you could give us some information about your attack."

Ino blinked a few times, before nodding slowly, "Right … Well, there isn't really a lot to tell. Something just appeared out of nowhere and attacked me. I never saw a thing, and I couldn't fight back so I just made a loud enough noise for someone to find me. Whatever … no, _who_ever that was, needs to be punished."

"What makes you say 'who'?"

"It was definitely a person. I could feel the hand around my throat. It was a guy, too. I know because he laughed, and it was definitely a male laugh. He was really strong as well. I don't know if any of that helps, but ..."

"No, that helps a lot. It means we can completely clear Sakura's name from these attacks. Now we just have to find out what the hell is going on. Thank you, Ino. You can rest now."

"It was good to see you, Ino. Also, sorry for freaking you out before you were attacked."

"Thanks, I gue … wait, that was _you_?! You're such a bitch, Forehead!"

Sakura laughed and ran out the room, Sasuke and Naruto following suite after bidding goodbye to the blonde patient.

"Ahh, guys, this is great! My name will _finally_ be cleared, and no one will hate me any more! All thanks to the knowledge that the invisible person has a penis. Incredible."

Sasuke smirked from behind the tap of Sakura's feet dancing down the corridor. He couldn't figure out why he was so ridiculously happy to hear that Sakura wasn't going to be blamed any longer, but chose to just go along with it. Feeling stupid because of his weird feelings opted to be better than feeling incredibly stupid because of the stupid outfit he had to wear until he got home.

"I think it's great Sakura-chan. You know what would make a good celebration? RAMEN!"

Sighs were heard from both of Naruto's teammates. They hadn't even left the hospital and the idiot had already brought up his need for food.

"Naruto, I know we were gonna go, but I actually have some kind of lead on this thing now! I need to help Tsunade research this. The faster it's sorted out, the faster we have a cure, and the faster we have a cure, the faster I can be seen again. Then I can go to Ichiraku's _without_ giving Teuchi and Ayame heart attacks. Sorry, Naruto."

Naruto pouted as he heard Sakura's footsteps disappear into the distance, and swivelled on his heels to face Sasuke, "Well, looks like it's just the two of us, then! I swear, if we keep going there by ourselves, people are gonna think we're going out. But I need my ramen, so it's a risk I'm willing to take."

Sasuke glared. "No. I'm going home and getting changed out of thiscrap."

"Hey! Those trousers are not crap! They are as awesome as the guy who bought them. Who was that? Oh, right, ME!"

Sasuke sighed once more and walked away, leaving Naruto standing in the middle of the hospital corridor, oblivious to the stares he was receiving from people around him.

Naruto's shoulders slumped, and the blonde walked towards the hospital exit. Ramen for one was never as good as ramen with others, but what the hell. It was still ramen, after all.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto spun around and came face to face with Hinata. A bright smile appeared on his face, while a bright blush appeared on hers, "Hey, Hina-chan! You working again? It feels like that's all you do nowadays."

Hinata nodded and looked down, "Y-Yes. With S-Sakura not here, we all have to work harder."

Naruto's mouth formed an 'o' shape, and the two stood in silence for what seemed like hours. Hinata was, once again, carrying books, though these ones seemed to be in better condition than the other ones she'd had before.

"S-Speaking of Sakura … I need to tell you s-something."

Naruto's ears perked up, but as Hinata opened her mouth to reveal whatever it was she was going to say, a stressed Shizune came running up to them, hair flying everywhere.

"Hinata! I need your help, some of the patients are complaining about a lack of staff, and Tsunade's in too much of a drunken stupor to hold a pen, let alone do surgeries. Sorry, Naruto, but this will have to wait until Hinata isn't at work."

With that, Shizune clasped Hinata by the elbow and dragged her along the corridor with her. Hinata gave Naruto an apologetic look before they turned a corner and out of sight.

Ramen for one it was, after all.

* * *

><p>Sakura skimmed through another book of Tsunade's, determined to find <em>something<em> more to go on. She glanced over at her mentor and couldn't help but smile at the light snoring that came from the unconscious woman, the bottle of Sake she had been drinking forgotten and dropped on the floor.

Taking a deep breath, she instinctively knew there would be nothing on invisibility in the pages she was reading through, and carefully tossed it aside, letting it join the other unhelpful books that had proved useless against this kind of situation.

Sitting in the office atop of the Hokage tower, Sakura stared out the window, reflecting on what had happened within the last few days. She had fallen out with a lot of people, then made up with a lot of people. She had become an A ranked criminal in her own village, then her name had been cleared. She had become invisible with her feelings completely in check, and now her emotions were all over the place.

Just a week ago, any insinuations of romance between herself and Sasuke Uchiha would've resulted in a punch. She would brush off Naruto's playfulness and Ino's teasing. Just because she had allowed herself to know that she was still in love with Sasuke, didn't mean that she would ever voice it out to anyone. Naruto and Ino had often mocked the two, and even Naruto once had the nerve to say that the two were 'oblivious to each others' feelings'. Right. Because _he_ was the one to go to when in need of relationship advice.

Despite that incident at the Hokage tower, Sakura knew that Sasuke wouldn't have any kind of feelings for her. She was realistic, after all. She had been the girl that fawned over him since she was a genin, and not once had he had shown anything but resentment for her. True, he was a lot more civil to her now, but that could barely mean anything more than a casual friendship between teammates.

Still, with her emotions currently running riot, she couldn't avoid the butterflies that appeared in her stomach whenever she thought of the onyx-eyed male.

Shaking her head, Sakura turned to focus on the work before her. She couldn't allow herself to get lost in her thoughts; especially over a _guy_.

The Kunoichi wandered over to her sleeping mentor's desk, careful not to wake the blonde, in fear of being on the wrong end of her vicious hangover. She glanced over all of the paperwork spread out on the mahogany desk, noticing one that caught her eye. Sakura picked it up and realised that it was what Tsunade had previously found on the other invisibility case.

Sakura sat back on her chair, folding her legs beneath her, and began to read the research.

"So there was a guy … he started to act differently …"

Sakura thought once again about her random mood swings and became more interested in the paper in her hand. She supposed she should've read this before, so she would know what to expect. Still, she continued to read what was written.

"He … killed for the sake of killing? Well, I haven't done that yet …"

But she had been framed for attempting murder. Twice. At least now she could understand why Tsunade was so quick to blame her. She had assumed that Sakura would become a mass murderer. If she'd explained that before, Sakura probably would have acted less crazy.

"He couldn't find a cure, blah blah blah after a month he ran away and … wait … what?"

The last sentence was read and re-read again and again. The guy disintegrated? Disappeared? How could that even happen? Was that going to happen to her?

Did she only have a month to live?

Of course, she had already been invisible for almost a week, so theoretically, she only had about three and a half weeks left …

No. That couldn't be right. Of course it wasn't right. The dude was invisible, how would anyone know what happened to him? Who wrote all of this anyway?

Something didn't add up here.

The only person that could've known to that extent what happened to the man, was the man himself. But, if he had disintegrated, he wouldn't have been able to write the ending. Which meant he must've still been alive. At least long enough to get his story out there.

Then again, Ino had said that it was an _invisible man_. If there had only ever been one known case of this before, who was to say it wasn't the same man doing all of this? But that didn't make sense either. Why would this man have a personal vendetta against her? She was a hard working medic nin who saved more lives than destroyed. Every village knows of her connection to Tsunade, too, and even the dumbest ninjas wouldn't go against her alone.

A frown marred Sakura's face and she bit her lip. Though she had found answers from her previous questions, she had also gained many more upon reading this paper.

The pinkette placed the paper back onto Tsunade's desk, the frown never leaving her face, and she left the office. If that research was anything to go on, then she only had a few more weeks to figure out what the hell was going on. But once she got her hands on whoever did this …

They were gonna regret it.

* * *

><p><strong>Boom, I'm back. Happy December y'all! I've realised that I talk waaaay too much in these authors notes, so I'm just gonna keep it simple today. This was the second draft of this chapter, I began writing the first one months ago, then I stopped, then went back to it, and I hated it. Then I began this one, and, I have to say, I loved the opening scene so much I was actually sat at work excited to come home because it meant I could keep writing this chapter. I know people hate slackers, and I do apologize. Hopefully I'll update again before 2013. Though work is hating me lately.<strong>

**So we know for certain that it's MR Invisible! Things are being slowly cleared up! Even in my head, I now have a complete image who they are, where it was a bit sketchy up until now. **

**I hope you all still love me and this story enough to review. I've read back at some of the other chapters, and I never realised how appalling my grammar is, and as a hater of poor grammar, I've definitely taken up proof-reading before I let these out to the world now. I shuddered. Ugh.**

**Short and sweet note didn't really work … oh well, maybe next time :p Izumo was in this again! I love Izumo. You guys been reading the manga? Holy moly. When everyone arrived and I saw Izumo, I actually screamed with happiness. Saddo. There's now also another anonymous person in the midst! Who's making Mr Anonymous do all this? I KNOW. But you don't, Muahaha.**

**Alright, I'm definitely shutting up now. But before I do, how was/is your day? I've missed you guys.**

**Over and Out! :D**

**-x-Emma-x-**


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